On the night of September 19, 2008, a Learjet 60 business jet (registration N999LJ) crashed during take-off from Columbia Metropolitan Airport in South Carolina. The aircraft overran the runway end, crashed through the airport boundary fence, crossed South Carolina Highway 302 and came to rest onto an embankment, bursting into flames.
Four of the six people on board died in the crash. The survivors, musician Travis Barker and disc jockey Adam "DJ AM" Goldstein, suffered severe burns. The jet had been due to fly Barker, Goldstein and their entourage to Van Nuys, California, after their TRV$DJAM band's performance at a concert in Five Points.
Victims and survivors
Vuelo del Learjet 60 de Travis Barker en Carolina del Sur (Reconstrucción) - SuscrÃbete, comenta y comparte para más reconstrucciones. Unete a mi página de Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mauricio-PC-1655715578065475 Apóyame en Patreon si quieres ver videos más...
Pilot Sarah Lemmon, 31, of Anaheim Hills, California; co-pilot James Bland, 52, of Carlsbad, California; Chris Baker, 29, of Studio City, California; and security guard Charles "Che" Still, 25, of Los Angeles died.
Barker and Goldstein escaped the plane and told first responders four others were onboard. Both suffered second and third degree burns.
Investigation
On the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) the pilot indicates she is reacting to the apparent sound of a tire burst and attempting a rejected takeoff. Pieces of a tire were found at the crash site. The plane did not carry a flight data recorder.
The NTSB's report attributed the accident to tire bursts during take-off and the pilot's resulting decision to abort at high speed. Several tires were severely under-inflated and punctured during take-off. The captain aborted at 144 knots (267Â km/h). The normal operating procedure for Learjet 60s is never to abort above the "go/no-go" decision speed V1 , which for this particular take-off was 136 knots (252Â km/h). The co-pilot can be heard saying the appropriate "go go go" on the CVR.
Lawsuits
Both survivors, as well as the estates of two of the deceased, sued for damages from parties including Learjet, tire manufacturer Goodyear, and, in at least Goldstein's case, against the estates of the dead pilots.
References
External links
- "NTSB: Tire blowout likely to blame" thestate.com
- "Dashboard video shows fiery wreckage of plane crash" wistv.com
- "Four die in plane crash; rock star, DJ survive" latimes.com
- "Dramatic Video: Moments After Travis Barker's Plane Crash" etonline.com
