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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Lifestyle
Sam Moore

Travis Barker: What happened on the deadly plane crash?

Travis Barker

Travis Barker has flown on an airplane for the first time since surviving a deadly crash in 2008.

Barker, along with his girlfriend Kourtney Kardashian, flew on a private jet from Los Angeles to Cabo in Mexico.

The Blink-182 drummer had declined to travel by air since a 2008 crash in South Carolina, and has missed several tour dates with the band over his refusal to fly.

He was one of two survivors of the accident, which killed the two pilots as well as his security guard, Charles Still and personal assistant, Chris Baker.

The other survivor was DJ AM, a friend and collaborator of Barker’s. He died a year later following an accidental drug overdose.

In the crash, Barker was critically injured and suffered third degree burns on 65 per cent of his body.

He was in hospital for months, enduring a total of 16 surgeries and multiple skin grafts to repair his body. There was enough damage that at one point, doctors considered amputating his foot.

Barker said he considered taking his life in the months after the crash and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He was guilt-ridden by the deaths of two friends and employees who were only on the plane because of him.

The drummer has previously talked about his recovery from the crash in an interview with ABC: “I stayed in burn centres for, like, the next four months. That feels like hell.”

He also credits his children with helping him recover from the ordeal. “I tell my children, ‘When you’re ready to fly, I’m ready to fly,’” he said.

Barker tweeted earlier this year to say: “I might fly again.”

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