SCOTTSDALE, AZ — The Scottsdale City Council is scheduled to vote this week on whether to fight a lawsuit filed by Mötley Crüe frontman Vince Neil's company over a plane crash last year.
A Learjet owned by Neil’s company collided with another plane on the ground.
The collision happened in February 2025 at the Scottsdale Airport when the Learjet’s landing gear failed.
The plane skidded off the runway and slammed into a parked Gulfstream G200 jet.
The Learjet’s pilot was killed. Four others were injured.
The crash received national attention because of its ties to Neil, the lead vocalist for the popular American heavy-metal band. Neil was not on board at the time.
A lawsuit filed by Neil’s company, Chromed in Hollywood, alleges the airport allowed the Gulfstream to park inside a designated object-free zone, an area that federal regulations require to be kept clear of all aircraft.
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The lawsuit claims the Gulfstream was improperly parked and the airport “knew or should have known that allowing an aircraft to park in this protected safety zone created an extreme hazard to landing aircraft.”
On Tuesday, the City Council will vote on whether to authorize the city attorney to fight the claims.
Specifically, the city attorney and staff are asking for authorization to “take all legal action necessary to defend and prosecute all claims to the benefit” of the city.
The item is listed on the consent agenda, meaning there won’t be a discussion in the meeting unless a member of the city council asks that it be removed for discussion.
The city, which typically does not respond to pending litigation, did not respond to a request for comment from ABC15 on Monday.
Kristin Newman, the Texas-based attorney who represents Chromed in Hollywood, did not respond to a request for comment.
The stakes are significant.
Scottsdale runs the 8th busiest business jet airport in the country, logging nearly 54,000 takeoffs and landings over the past year.
The city faces three other lawsuits involving the same crash in addition to the one filed by Neil’s company:
- Ashley Rae Rosile, a passenger on the Learjet, was injured in the crash and claims she spent more than $108,000 in medical care. She is suing several entities, including the city.
- Another lawsuit was filed by Jet Pros, the charter provider of the Gulfstream jet that was damaged in the crash. Jet Pros is suing several entities, including the city. The pilot of the Gulfstream is also a plaintiff in this lawsuit.
- Alliance Global Risks, the insurance company for the Gulfstream, is suing the city and Chromed in Hollywood. That suit says the Gulfstream ,valued at $5.5 million, was a total loss.
The city has not yet responded in writing to any of the four lawsuits in court because the complaints were only recently filed earlier this year.
ABC15 will continue to track all four lawsuits and the outcome.
Email ABC15’s Anne Ryman at anne.ryman@abc15.com, call her at 602-685-6345, or connect on X, formerly known as Twitter.
