6 Feb 12th-Feb 18th, 2026 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | Airing It Out Woman who survived fatal Scottsdale Airport plane crash sues city. BY ZACH BUCHANAN N early a year ago, a private jet owned by Motley Crue singer Vince Neil veered off the runway during landing and crashed into another jet at Scottsdale Airport, killing the pilot and injuring several others on board. Neil was not on board at the time. A survivor who was on the plane, Las Vegas resident Ashley Rosile, is now suing the city of Scottsdale over the crash. Rosile claims the airport, which is owned and operated by the city, negligently allowed another aircraft, a Gulfstream G200, to park in a spot that put it in the path of the wayward Gates Learjet 35A in which she was a passenger. The lawsuit notes that Scottsdale Airport is “among the top 10 busiest single-runway airports globally,” handling “around 166,000 takeoffs and landings on an annual basis.” The lawsuit adds: “A reasonable munici- pality prevents collisions between planes by ensuring that parked planes are kept at a reasonably safe distance from the airport’s runway and taxiways.” The lawsuit also names as defendants the pilot of the Gulfstream; Southwest Jet Center, which towed the other plane into its position at the time of the crash; WW Aviation LLC, which the suit claims owned or controlled the other jet; and Jet Pros, which allegedly managed the other jet on WW Aviation’s behalf. One day after Rosile filed her suit, a related suit was filed by an insurance company representing Jet Pros. That suit also claims that Scottsdale Airport and Southwest Jet Center improperly parked the Gulfstream that was hit. Additionally, that suit claims that the company that owns the Learjet, the Neil-owned Chromed in Hollywood, should have deployed a drag chute upon landing. Phoenix New Times has sent requests for comment to Southwest Jet Center, the attorney for Rosile and a representative for Chromed in Hollywood, but has not heard back. Ryan Saba, an attorney for Jet Pros, declined to comment, as did a Scottsdale spokesperson. New Times was unable to locate contact information for WW Aviation. Rosile and Jet Pros’ insurer, Allianz Global Risks, are both seeking a variety of damages in their respective suits. Allianz says it paid $5.5 million to cover the loss of the Gulfstream. ‘Object Free Area’ At the heart of both lawsuits is what is called an Object Free Area, or OFA. As Rosile’s suit defines the term, an OFA is a “ground area surrounding runways, taxiways, and taxilanes that must remain clear of all above-ground objects, except for those objects necessary for air navigation or aircraft ground maneuvering purposes.” An OFA’s purpose is to “provide safety by preventing collisions between aircraft and obstacles such as parked aircraft, vehicles, and/or equipment, including when a landing jet aircraft veers off the runway at landing speed.” Veer off the runway at landing speed is exactly what the Learjet carrying Rosile did on Feb. 10, 2025. The jet — which was flown by 78-year-old pilot Joie Vitosky along with a first officer, and which also carried two dogs and another passenger besides Rosile — approached the runway for landing at 2:38 p.m. The plane suffered a “left landing gear separation,” with the landing gear not in proper position, causing the plane to Planes sit parked at Scottsdale Airport in 2021. (Wirestock/Getty Images) >> p 9 | NEWS | | NEWS |
