At least one person was killed as two private jets collided in yet another incident in the US on Monday (Feb 10). The latest in a string of aircraft collisions happened at the Scottsdale Airport in Arizona around 2:30 pm local time (9:30 PM GMT) when a business jet smashed into another plane after landing at the US airport, said authorities.
Reports suggest that one person was trapped inside one of the planes for an extended period of time, and three others have been taken to hospital for treatment.
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The private plane belonged to the Vince Neil, lead singer of heavy metal band Mötley Crüe, and at the time of the collision his Andreani along with a friend were onboard. The band has confirmed the information on X.
— Mötley Crüe (@MotleyCrue) February 11, 2025
What happened?
According to a Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) statement, a business plane - a Learjet 35A veered off the runway crashing into a stationary Gulfstream airplane.
"A Learjet 35A veered off the runway after landing and crashed into a Gulfstream 200 business jet on the ramp at Scottsdale Municipal Airport in Arizona around 2:45 p.m. local time Monday, Feb 10," said a FAA spokesperson.
A CCTV clip of the crash is going viral. Watch it here:
Video of the plane crash at Scottsdale airport. pic.twitter.com/iKHw96CJVQ
— Jen 𝕏🗽 (@jenreneeX) February 11, 2025
"We do not know how many people were on board. The FAA is temporarily pausing flights into the airport," they added.
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In a post on X, Scottsdale Airport confirmed the accident and said that runway 21 has been closed as the Fire Department assesses the situation.
An accident has occurred upon arrival to runway 21. Fire Department is on scene assessing the situation. Scottsdale Airports runway is currently closed. pic.twitter.com/soWypWJd2n
— Scottsdale Airport (@FlyScottsdale) February 10, 2025
Casualties and more
According to Dave Folio, of the Scottsdale Fire Department, units were working to extract the one person trapped inside the wreckage. While some reports suggest that the person may have been freed from the planes, an official confirmation is awaited.
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"I can tell you that we have five souls, one dead on arrival at hospital, two immediate that have been transported to local trauma centres," said Folio.
Scottsdale Mayor Lisa Borowsky in a statement, as reported by ABC15, said: "Today, Scottsdale sadly experienced an aircraft accident at our airport. Based on the information provided thus far, it appears at least one person is dead after two jets collided on the runway at Scottsdale Airport."
(With inputs from agencies)