Vince Neil, the frontman of Mötley Crüe, has become unwittingly front and center in a safety‑alert from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) after one of his Learjets suffered a catastrophic landing‑gear failure. The incident has spurred the board to issue urgent recommendations aimed at preventing similar mishaps across a fleet of privately operated aircraft. What started as a routine investigation into a private‑jet crash has evolved into a broader safety concern affecting hundreds of jets nationwide.
According to a detailed report by CNN, the NTSB criticized the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for electing not to mandate landing‑gear inspections for certain models of the Learjet, even though the manufacturer had issued service bulletin following the accident. The crash in question involved Neil’s Learjet veering off the runway, with investigators determining that a critical retaining bolt on the left main landing gear had failed to secure the component, contributing to the gear’s separation upon landing. With only about 12% of the approximately 1,883 potentially affected aircraft inspected so far, the NTSB described the risk as “imminent” and said the required check takes roughly two hours per airplane.
The NTSB’s recommendation calls for the FAA to mandate inspections and visual checks of the retaining bolt and trunnion pin any time the landing gear is removed for maintenance. It also takes issue with the FAA’s earlier decision not to compel compliance despite the manufacturer’s warning and the known risk of gear separation. The outcome of this process could affect thousands of private and business jets, pushing the industry toward more rigorous oversight of older model aircraft and greater accountability for owners and operators.
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