Private plane crash that killed a pilot could be tied to known landing gear issue, NTSB report says

PHOENIX — Prior damage to the landing gear on a private jet owned by Mötley Crüe singer Vince Neil could have contributed to a fatal crash earlier this month, according to a preliminary report released Thursday by the National Transportation Safety Board.

Months before the aircraft veered off a runway in Arizona and hit a business jet, killing one person, the same flight crew had a landing issue with the Learjet in Oklahoma in June 2024. The jet took a hard landing, causing both left main landing gear tires to burst.

The pilot hired a mechanic to perform a hard landing inspection, which prompted the removal of both main landing gear for the inspection, according to the report.

Later that year, another mechanic noted that the left landing gear took an “excessive” amount of grease, but nothing appeared “unusual," the report said. The flight crew didn’t make any radio calls indicating there was a possible problem with the landing gear.

“That's kind of a red flag,” said Erwin Winkler, chief flight instructor and director of maintenance at Tucson Flight School, referring to extraordinary amount of grease.

The NTSB said the landing gear has disconnected from the airframe in at least three other events because a certain bolt was not properly engaged through a pin.

It looks like the pin, which the grease must flow through, might have not been installed correctly, Winkler said.

The fatal crash killed 78-year-old Joie Vitosky, one of the two pilots on board, according to the Scottsdale Police Department.