HOT TOPICS

most

Raw Video: Sirens, Screams at Crash Site

By MEG KINNARD

posted: 283 DAYS 20 HOURS AGO

comments: 5

filed under: Music News, Out Sick, TV News

Text SizeAAA

WEST COLUMBIA, S.C. (Sept. 23) - A pilot and co-pilot killed in a Learjet crash in South Carolina died from smoke inhalation and burns, and two passengers were killed from the impact, officials said Monday.

Skip over this content

Remarkably, former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and celebrity disc jockey DJ AM survived the Friday night crash with second- and third-degree burns. One of their doctors at a Georgia burn hospital said he expects them to fully recover.

A video of the crash scene released by police Monday shows an inferno next to the road and screams can be heard above the din of sirens of ambulances and fire trucks. It is not clear who is screaming.

A firefighter said it took more than an hour to get the blaze under control.

The pilot and co-pilot were burned on their entire bodies and died within minutes of the plane's crash into an embankment about a quarter-mile from the end of the airport's runway, said Brian Setree, chief deputy coroner for Lexington County. The two passengers, who were close friends of the musicians, died on impact; no evidence of smoke was found in their lungs, Setree said.

Officials with the National Transportation Safety Board said they have not determined what caused the crash. However, they said a cockpit voice recorder revealed that crew members thought a tire blew and tried to abort the takeoff but couldn't stop the plane. The Learjet 60 shot off the end of the runway, ripped through a fence and crossed a highway before coming to rest, engulfed in flames.

Skip over this content

Travis Barker Photos

** FILE ** This Nov. 17, 2006 file photo shows Travis Barker as he appears onstage during MTV's "Total Request Live" at the MTV Times Square Studios, in New York. Travis Barker has sued over a plane crash that left him injured and killed two of his friends. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow, file)

*** FILE *** Investigators look over the debris left by the Learjet that was carrying former Blink 182, drummer, Travis Barker, and Adam Goldstein, also know as DJ-AM, on the outskirts of the Columbia Metropolitan Airport, in this Saturday, Sept. 20, 2008 file photo, in Columbia, S.C. The pilots of the private jet warned air traffic controllers the plane was nearing the end of the runway, according to cockpit recordings released Tuesday Nov. 18, 2008. (AP Photo/Brett Flashnick)

** FILE ** In this Sept. 7, 2008 file photo, DJ AM, left, and musician Travis Barker pose backstage at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards held at Paramount Pictures Studio Lot in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, file)

Pictures of Charles Still and Chris Baker , who worked for the musicians Barker and DJ AM. are seen at a memorial set up in front of the Famous Stars and Straps, a clothing and accessory line created by former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, in Los Angeles Monday Sept. 22, 2008. Barker and celebrity disc jockey DJ AM were critically injured in the Friday night crash but are expected to recover. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)

Neighbors look at a memorial set up in front of the Famous Stars and Straps, a clothing and accessory line created by former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, in Los Angeles Monday Sept. 22, 2008, in memory of Chris Baker and Charles Still, who worked for the musicians Barker and DJ AM. Barker and celebrity disc jockey DJ AM were critically injured in the Friday night crash but are expected to recover. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)

Killed in the crash were pilot Sarah Lemmon, 31, of Anaheim Hills, Calif.; co-pilot James Bland, 52, of Carlsbad, Calif.; Chris Baker, 29, of Studio City, Calif.; and Charles Still, 25, of Los Angeles. Baker was an assistant to Barker and Still was a security guard for the musician.

Setree said it wasn't possible to determine if the crew members were conscious after the plane came to rest. A witness who came upon the scene moments after the crash said he discovered the musicians in the street near the fiery wreck as they frantically tried to douse their burning clothes.

The witness, William Owens, described the plane as a fireball shooting across the highway. Owens said he was told there were four other people on board, but they were making no noise and the flames were too hot to get close. "I immediately knew there was no saving them," he said Saturday.

The jet, which was headed for Van Nuys, Calif., is owned by Global Exec Aviation, a California-based charter company, and was certified to operate last year.

Skip over this content

Listen to DJ AM on AOL Radio

NTSB member Debbie Hersman has said pieces of tire were recovered from the runway. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. manufactured the tires on the Learjet and is cooperating with the investigation, the company said Monday.

Public records show the jet earlier this month returned to a New Jersey airport before reaching its destination in Oklahoma. The records do not say why the plane diverted back 20 minutes after it took off Sept. 12 from Teterboro, N.J.

Six days later, the aircraft took off from Teterboro again, flew for 47 minutes, and returned to the New Jersey airport, the records show. The next night, the plane arrived in Columbia at 11:08 p.m.; the crash happened less than an hour later.

Skip over this content

Hours Before Crash

'Fix Your Face'

Skip over this content

Barker and The Game

Blink 182's 'Go'

Officials for Global Exec have said they are cooperating with investigators, but did not immediately respond Monday to questions about the Teterboro flights.

Barker starred in the MTV reality series "Meet the Barkers" with his then-wife, former Miss USA Shanna Moakler. In a statement released Monday, Moakler thanked fans for their support.

"We can only ask for prayers as we heal and mourn the loss of our dear friends who we considered part of our family," Moakler said. "Our lives will be changed forever."

Famous Stars and Straps, a clothing and accessory line created by Barker, announced that memorial funds had been established to benefit the families of Baker and Still.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

2008-09-20 08:19:45

GOOD READ?

86 %

14 %

7 votes

See More Related Articles and Blog Posts

(5)

Sort by:

1 - 5

<< Previous Next 10 >>

Cyberbeano

10:05 AMSep 20 2008

Rule #1: Do not get into an airplane.

AVG RATING:

(0)

REPORT!

sign-in to rate

Ctapple4

10:05 AMSep 20 2008

OH MAN...... ALL THOSE REALLY REALLY GOOD TATTOO'S GOT ALL MESSED UP

AVG RATING:

(2)

REPORT!

sign-in to rate

Susanswrd

10:02 AMSep 20 2008

Here's wishing Travis Barker and DJ AM the best. Hope they will recover from their injuries. Sympathy to the families of those who died.

AVG RATING:

(3)

REPORT!

sign-in to rate

Sunshinejenn08

10:00 AMSep 20 2008

These are truly the end times, God is coming soon, these 2 men survived for a reason. They need the Lord, they weren't ready to leave this world without Him. I pray they turn their life over to Him in response to their survival of this crash. I pray that all who read this message realize that Jesus is coming soon and He will take all His children to Heaven with Him to live eternally. All the disasters and chaos in this world right now is a precursor to the end times. People need to either find the Lord or get their lives right with Him if they already know him. If you want to know the Lord, pray the sinners prayer as follows: Dear God, I know I'm a sinner, I ask for forgiveness for all my sins both known and unknown, cleanse my heart and soul from unrighteousness, come into my heart and make me whole Lord, shine your light upon my life, change me to reflect your glory, I will walk in faith, read your word the Bible to learn more about your Lord, bless my life as I learn to live ...

AVG RATING:

(3)

REPORT!

sign-in to rate

New44moon

09:55 AMSep 20 2008

Cincinnatikid211 09:46 AMSep 20 2008 GOOD PEOPLE, WORTHWHILE PEOPLE DIE IN CRASHES...TATTOOED BUMS LIKE THIS SURVIVE...new44moon reply: You may feel he's a bum, but he does have a claim to fame. He's not a nobody like most of us are.

AVG RATING:

(2)

REPORT!

sign-in to rate

1 - 5 of 5

<< Previous Next 10 >>