A little over 14 years ago, Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker escaped a fiery plane crash involving a Learjet 60 on which he was traveling to California. The accident occurred while the private jet was attempting to depart from Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE) in South Carolina, and left the musician badly injured. However, in an unlikely twist of fate, the accident also ended up prompting a musical reunion.
The flight and aircraft in question
As established, the flight that Barker was onboard when it crashed originated at South Carolina's Columbia Metropolitan Airport. This facility is located conveniently close to the Five Points area of Columbia, where Barker had just performed. Blink-182 were not active as a band at the time, with Barker instead touring with TRV$DJAM, a collaboration project between himself and Adam 'DJ AM' Goldstein.
The flight's destination was Van Nuys (VNY) in southern California, a facility often used by Los Angeles-bound private aircraft. As well as Barker and Goldstein, two other passengers were onboard, namely Charles Monroe Still Jr and Chris Baker. They were joined by a two-person flight crew, giving a total occupancy of six. The aircraft operating the flight was a Learjet 60 that bore the registration N999LJ.
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The rear-engined business jet was relatively new at the time, given that, according to the Aviation Safety Network, it had first flown in 2006. Given that the Learjet 60 can accommodate a capacity of as many as eight passengers, its four guests made for a relatively light load. At 23:53 local time on September 19th, 2008, it began a takeoff roll that would prove to be its last.
Disastrous takeoff attempt
While accelerating along Columbia Metropolitan Airport's 2,622-meter-long (8,601 feet) runway 11, the plane's occupants reportedly heard a loud bang. The pilots informed air traffic control of having experienced this audible sensation, and the controllers noted that they could see sparks coming from the jet. The crew opted to abort the departure, believing a burst tire to have been the cause of the noise.
An investigation carried out by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found that there had indeed been a tire burst due to inadequate maintenance and severe underinflation. Unfortunately, by the time the crew had opted to abort the takeoff, the jet had already accelerated beyond V1, the maximum speed at which a departure can safely be halted. As such, it overran the runway.
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This caused it to crash through a fence at the end of the landing strip and career over the adjacent South Carolina Highway 302 before stopping on an embankment. At this point, it burst into flames, although Baker and Still had sadly already perished upon impact. The fire also tragically resulted in the deaths of the two pilots, who passed away due to a combination of smoke inhalation and burns.
A lengthy recovery
Both Goldstein and Barker were able to escape the fiery wreckage, albeit with severe burn injuries. Barker spent a total of 11 weeks in hospital, having received burns to approximately 65% of his body. During this period, he had to undergo a grand total of 16 surgeries, with these procedures including grafts and transfusions.
Meanwhile, Goldstein was hospitalized for just one week after the fiery accident, despite having received third-degree burns to his head and arms. He and Barker eventually performed together again in December 2008. Sadly, Goldstein died in August 2009 following a drug overdose in New York City, aged just 36 years old.
Following Barker's recovery, Blink-182 reunited in February 2009, having initially taken an 'indefinite hiatus' four years beforehand. The pop-punk outfit has remained active ever since, although, for much of this time, Barker didn't fly when on tour, having developed PTSD due to the crash. According to TMZ, he eventually hit the skies again in August 2021, almost 13 years after the accident.
Columbia Metropolitan Airport today
While this accident involved a private jet, Columbia Metropolitan Airport is also a commercial facility. It sees scheduled domestic flights operated by all of the US big three's regional brands (American Eagle, Delta Connection, and United Express), as well as limited mainline Delta Air Lines flights. According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), its most popular destination is Atlanta.
Sources: Aviation Safety Network, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, TMZ