+44 drummer Travis Barker and DJ AM were critically injured last night after surviving a Learjet crash stemming from Columbia Metro Airport in South Carolina when the craft failed to lift off which was followed by it skidding off the runway then going up in flames as it barreled down a nearby road. It’s reported that Travis and AM leapt from the burning jet as it stopped, moments before flames engulfed the wreckage.
The pilot, co-pilot, another unknown man named Charles Still, along with Barker’s assistant Chris Baker all perished in the tragic accident. Barker is being treated for burns sustained from his waist down, and it’s said Goldstein (AM) has facial burns currently being cared for in an Augusta burn center.
Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said the plane carrying six people was departing shortly before midnight Friday when air traffic controllers reporting seeing sparks. The plane went off a runway and crashed on a nearby road, she said.
Hospital spokeswoman Beth Frits said Barker and DJ AM, whose real name is Adam Goldstein, were in critical condition at a burn center in Augusta, Ga., about 75 miles southwest of Columbia. NBC News reported that Barker, who also starred in MTV reality show “Meet the Barkers”, had performed Friday night at an event alongside Perry Farrell, the former Jane’s Addiction singer, as well as Gavin DeGraw and Goldstein.
The killed passengers and two crew members, all from California, were identified as pilot Sarah Lemmon, 31, of Anaheim Hills; co-pilot James Bland, 52, of Carlsbad; Chris Baker, 29, of Studio City; and Charles Still, 25, of Los Angeles, NBC News reported.
Watch a video above including footage and more reports on the crash. The plane, a Learjet model 60 with tail #N999LJ is registered to Inter Travel and Services INC. based out of Irvine, CA. Here’s a photo of the actual jet taken 3 weeks ago while fully intact.
