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Scottsdale Airport crash: Witness recalls moment plane crashed

Published 1 month ago3 minute read

- Federal investigators have now taken over the Monday afternoon.

Investigators were at the crash site on Tuesday examining the evidence.

Authorities released the identity of the pilot who died in the Feb. 10 crash as 78-year-old Joie Vitosky.

In the moments after impact, Gordon Johnson’s camera rolled as the fire department arrived. They doused the engine, shutting it down while the smell of fuel filled the air.

"There was no fire. That could have been massively catastrophic," Gordon Johnson of said on Feb. 11.

The collision was captured on surveillance cameras at Scottsdale Airport on Monday afternoon.

The plane, a Learjet, registered to Mötley Crüe band member Vince Neil, had a problem with its landing gear, veered off the runway, and hit a parked jet, a Gulfstream.

Neil was not on board.

"I saw the gear getting sheared off and tumble behind the airplane," Johnson said.

Johnson once flew that same plane in 2005 while brokering a sale. He remarked on the landing gear on jets like this one.

"Systems energize through electrical, initially, micro switches, which open shuttle valves, hydraulic valves, which forces hydraulic fluid into the gear system and forces it to be down," Johnson said.

Two passengers were badly injured, and another was also treated at the hospital. A fifth person who was inside the Gulfstream didn't want treatment.

"It could have been worse," Johnson said. "It’s still really bad."

JetPros, the owner of the Gulfstream, released a statement, saying, "On behalf of Jet Pros, we are saddened to hear about the lives lost and injured on Monday, February 10 at Scottsdale Airport. Our condolences go out to the family members of those affected by this terrible accident. Our plane, a Gulfstream G-200 business jet, was parked on the ramp when it was hit by the Learjet 35 at around 2:45 PM local time, sustaining external damage to the aircraft. A member of our flight crew who was on board the Gulfstream at the time suffered injuries upon impact, which was discovered following a thorough medical examination Monday evening. He was treated and released, however we continue to monitor his recovery. We are cooperating fully with airport authorities and relevant agencies as they conduct a thorough review of the situation. We appreciate the swift response of airport personnel and will provide updates as more information becomes available. For any inquiries, please contact Gus Toulatos, Director of Operations."

FOX 10 reached out to the NTSB for any updates on the investigation. They have not held a press conference and local authorities weren’t willing to address many questions on Monday night.

Usually the federal investigators take a few weeks to put out a preliminary report.

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