Travis Barker and Dead Bodyguard File Suit

Travis Barker filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court against Bombardier Inc., Clay Lacy Aviation and Goodyear Tire and Rubber, alleging the Learjet he crashed in was defective and pilots were negligent.

You may know Travis Barker as the former Blink 182 drummer. Now you know he's also a plane crash survivor. Barker's bodyguard died in the learjet's crash on Sept. 19. Thelma Martin Still, the mother of Charles Still, also filed a suit.

According to the lawsuit, the learjet's "landing gear, tires, wheels, brakes, reverse thrust system, squat switches and component parts were not airworthy...The pilots' decision was a breach of their duty owed to the passengers onboard and was a substantial factor in causing the crash and resultant injuries and deaths."

See below from the archives









What: Learjet N999LJ owned by Global Exec Aviation en route to Van Nuys, Calif
Where: South Carolina
When: departed shortly before midnight Friday
Who: carrying six people Chris Baker, 29, of Studio City, Calif., and Charles Still, 25, of Los Angeles — died, as did pilot Sarah Lemmon, 31, of Anaheim Hills, Calif., and co-pilot James Bland, 52, of Carlsbad, Former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and celebrity DJ AM were critically injured
Why: air traffic controllers reporting seeing sparks. The plane was traveling at least 92 mph, its minimum takeoff speed, when the crew thought the tire burst The plane hurtled off the end of a runway and crashed through antennas and a fence, crossing a five-lane highway and ending up on an embankment in flames.The plane was heading to Van Nuys, Calif.

The FAA is researching the possibility that a blown tire caused the jet crash. Investigations have turned up evidence that tire may have blown just before takeoff at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport. The cockpit voice recorder indicates that the pilot and co-pilot informed air traffic controllers they'd heard a tire burst and they attempted to abort takeoff.

In serious condition is Travis Barker, who was the drummer for the band Blink-182. Barker was one of the two people wounded when the Learjet 60 crashed on a highway and caught fire.

Listed in critical condition is Adam Michael Goldstein otherwise known as celebrity disc jockey DJ AM. He reportedly saved his own life by jumping from the burning plane while it was skidding down a runway.

Joseph M. Still Burn Center said they both suffered second- and third-degree burns

Status (FAA)

Certification Class:	Standard
Certification Issued:	2007-11-16
Air Worthiness Test:	2006-12-14
Last Action Taken:	2008-08-11
Current Status:	Valid