A private jet owned by Motley Crue singer Vince Neil has crashed into another plane in the US, killing the pilot and hospitalising the rocker’s girlfriend.
The crash happened at the Scottsdale Airport in Arizona around 2.40pm local time on Monday.
Neil’s agent, Worrick Robinson, said the singer’s Learjet 35A was attempting to land at the airport when it veered off and collided with another parked plane.
The band confirmed in a statement that the pilot was killed in the crash.
“Earlier today, a private plane owned by Vince Neil was involved in a crash near Scottsdale, AZ,” the group said.
“The pilot was tragically killed; the co-pilot and other passengers were taken to local hospitals.”
The group added: “Vince was not on the plane. Vince‘s girlfriend and her friend suffered injuries, albeit not life-threatening. While details are still emerging, our hearts go out to the families about the pilot who lost his life in the passengers who suffered injuries.”
“Motley Crue will announce a way to help support the family of the deceased pilot - stand by for an announcement very soon.”
The 64-year-old rocker’s partner Rain Andreani, 43, and her friend Ashley both survived the crash and were rushed to a nearby hospital, according to TMZ.
Ms Andreani reportedly suffered five broken ribs while several pet dogs that were brought on board the aircraft were said to be safe.
There were two pilots and two passengers on Neil's plane.
“Mr Neil's thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved, and he is grateful for the critical aid of all first responders assisting today,” Mr Robinson said.
The arriving jet veered off the runway and collided with the Gulfstream 200 jet that was parked, according to Kelli Kuester, aviation planning and outreach coordinator at the Scottsdale Airport.
It appeared that the primary landing gear of the arriving jet failed, resulting in the collision, she said.
Ms Kuester said four people were on the arriving jet, which had come from Austin, Texas, and one person was in the parked plane.
Two people injured in the collision were taken to trauma centres and one was in stable condition at a hospital, Scottsdale Fire Department Captain Dave Folio said.
He said they were working to recover the body of the person killed in the collision.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to everybody involved in this,” Mr Folio said.
The runway has been closed and will remain closed “for the foreseeable future,” Ms Kuester said.
The airport is a popular hub for jets entering and leaving the Phoenix area, especially during big sports weekends like the Waste Management Open golf tournament, which attracts huge crowds just a few miles away.
The Scottsdale collision comes after three major US aviation disasters in the past two weeks.
A medical transportation plane crashed in Philadelphia on January 31, killing the six people on board and another person on the ground.
Last week, a small commuter plane crashed in western Alaska on its way to the hub community of Nome, killing all 10 people on board.
