TRAVIS BARKER ALMOST KILLED IN CRASH

Former Blink 182 and current Plus 44 drummer Travis Barker is in critical condition afer a plane crash.

As Artisan News Service reported early this morning, Travis Barker, former drummer for the pop-punk band Blink 182, and Adam Goldstein, also known in music circles as DJ AM, were hospitalized in critical condition with severe burns after the fatal crash of a Learjet Friday, September 19, on takeoff from Columbia South Carolina. It killed four people. They were playing a festival with Lollapalooza founder Perry Farrell and headliner Gavin DeGraw, but both were not on the plane.

The Learjet was taking off from the airport shortly before midnight, the Federal Aviation Administration said. Controllers in the tower saw sparks as the plane was heading down the runway, and the pilot told controllers they were going off the end of the runway. The plane ran off the runway onto a local road and caught on fire. Barker and DJ AM, both in critical condition, got out of the plane on their own before rescue crews arrived, trying to extinguish their burning clothing. Columbia Metropolitan Airport spokesperson Lynne Douglas was asked by Artisan News Service about the responders and if the airport watched this plane closer due to the high profile nature of the flight.

“Well they responded really quick. They were transported as quickly as possible to the hospital so the to response on the entire emergency was very very quick. We have a lot of general aviation aircraft that come through the airport, so it’s not unusual to have celebrities or groups come through the airport. So (the treatment was) nothing any different than what would be provided to anyone else who needed professional services and certainly the best professional care as anyone would receive.”

The four who died never emerged from the plane’s burning wreckage. Four other people aboard the jet died in the accident. They include the pilot Sarah Lemmon, 31, of Anaheim Hills, California and co-pilot James Bland, 52, of Carlsbad, California. Also speculated to have perished in the crash is Barker’s assistant Chris Baker. The fourth victim is being identified as a security guard for Barker, Charles Small, 25 of Los Angeles. Check back with us for more updates as they become available.