Vince Neil‘s birthday party in Florida may have been a lifesaver … because it’s the reason the Mötley Crüe frontman wasn’t onboard a doomed private jet flight that killed his longtime pilot.

Vince’s close friend, Lance Graves, tells TMZ … before Vince’s private jet was involved in a fatal crash Monday in Arizona, Neil and his friends were in Florida celebrating his 64th birthday.

The rocker’s girlfriend, Rain, was on the flight with her friend when it landed at Scottsdale Airport, lost control and crashed into a parked jet — killing Vince’s pilot — but Vince was not.

As we first reported … Vince’s girlfriend suffered 5 broken ribs in the crash. She was traveling with a friend who was also injured, and the plane’s co-pilot suffered injuries as well.

Vince’s friend says Rain will no longer be competing in the barrel racing competition as she’ll need time to recover from her injuries, both physically and emotionally. He says Vince’s friends will give her the “time and grace” she needs to heal.

Mötley Crüe’s manager previously told us Vince’s heart goes out to the pilot’s family and the band is brainstorming how they can help.

Vince’s friend says the pilot, a 78-year-old Marine veteran, flew with Vince for many years and Vince felt a loyalty to hire him after he retired from commercial airlines and wanted to support him.

A security guard at a Taco Bell slapped a woman clean across the face as she tried to place an order … and it’s all on video.

Footage from inside the Taco Bell Cantina location in downtown Los Angeles shows the restaurant’s security guard confronting a woman and smacking her upside the head.

The video picks up with the woman beelining to order from a kiosk … and the guard is hot on her heels. He grabs her arm, turns her so they’re face to face and unloads a vicious slap.

Customers in the store mostly watch in stunned silence … and the woman argues with the security guard before he’s ultimately able to usher her out the front door.

Unclear what sparked the confrontation … the video does not show the buildup.

Justin Bieber is keeping things super casual … and really leaning into his spa day.

The pop star was spotted visiting The Spa in West Hollywood on Tuesday and he walked out looking super relaxed … and it shows in his choice of clothing.

Check out the photos … Justin’s rocking an oversized blue robe, a lime green zip-up hoodie and some green sweat shorts … plus some furry boots, and high socks.

No sign of Hailey here … Justin was rolling through WeHo with a male friend … and he had his phone and a beverage to keep him occupied.

As we reported … Justin sparked major drama last month when he unfollowed his wife on Instagram, leaving folks wondering what was going on with the married couple, but he later cleared things up and claimed he was hacked.