How a pilot’s swift response helped save Vince Neil’s girlfriend in runway accident

According to the daughter of pilot Joie Vitosky, who was killed in the incident, an accident involving Vince Neil’s (of Mötley Crüe) jet may have been far worse. Even though the singer wasn’t on the aircraft, his girlfriend Rain Hannah Andreani might have suffered more serious injuries. It has since been proposed that Vitosky’s last-minute choice might have prevented the worst. As the aircraft descended for a descent, one of the jet’s two sets of landing gear disintegrated, according to a press conference conducted by Scottsdale Airport spokesperson Kelli Kuester. The jet skidded on the runway as a result of that problem, veering toward another jet that was “parked on private property” next to the runway. Because of that collision, Vitosky was the only one killed in the accident. According to TMZ, Andreani cracked five ribs in the collision, and her anonymous friend also sustained minor injuries. An unidentified co-pilot reportedly sustained minor injuries. And the dogs aboard the aircraft survived. Jana Schertzer, Vitosky’s daughter, told reporters in an interview with Arizona Republic that she firmly feels her father’s experience in the cockpit is what made the injuries less severe. Prior to becoming a private jet pilot, Vitosky had been flying for about 60 years, having been a helicopter pilot in the U.S. Marine Corps. Despite being 78 years old, Schertzer said her father was doing well.

I honestly, wholeheartedly believe that the reason those other passengers are alive — it’s because of how he handled it. Like, nothing wrong. His vision was perfect — better than 20/20 vision. Instead of, you know, retiring and doing nothing, he did it literally until the day he died.