Travis Barker Sues Plane And Tire Companies Over Crash

LOS ANGELES — Punk musician Travis Barker on Friday sued companies linked to a plane that crashed in South Carolina, injuring him and killing two friends.

The former Blink-182 drummer sued the plane's owners, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co., and an airplane maintenance company, seeking more than $25,000 in damages.

Barker's suit claims the companies improperly operated and maintained the Learjet that overshot a runway and burst into flames on Sept. 19 in South Carolina.

The crash killed two pilots, Barker's assistant, Chris Baker, and Barker's bodyguard, Charles Monroe Still Jr.

Barker is seeking damages for pain and suffering, disfigurement, loss of earnings, and medical and legal expenses. Still's mother, Thelma Martin Still, joined Barker in the lawsuit and is suing the companies for damages including grief and sorrow, funeral expenses and loss of earnings.

Barker and celebrity disc jockey DJ AM were both injured in the crash. The pair had performed together the night of the crash and were flying back to Los Angeles.

The lawsuit alleges that the Learjet was "defective" and faults the plane's pilots, claiming they were improperly trained and should have tried to take off rather than continue down the runway. The jet was owned by Global Exec Aviation, a Long Beach, Calif.-based charter company.

Along with Global Exec, others named in the lawsuit are Goodyear; Toronto-based Bombardier Inc., which the suit claims was responsible for maintaining the aircraft; and two charter firms that brokered the flight, Clay Lacy Aviation Inc. and Inter Travel and Services Inc.

In a statement, Goodyear spokesman Ed Markey said it was "unfortunate" the suit was filed before the National Transportation Safety Board's investigation was finalized.

"While the tires may have been involved, it is too early to speculate on a cause," said Markey. "The performance of the tire is dependent on how the tire was used,if it was properly maintained and whether it was damaged before the accident."

Messages left for Global Exec Aviation and Bombardier were not returned Friday.

Aviation authorities have said cockpit recordings indicated the jet's crew thought a tire had blown during takeoff. NTSB officials have said pieces of tire were recovered about 2,800 feet from where the plane started its takeoff down the 8,600-foot runway.

Comments

[impatient]

I'm surprised he's suing for only $25,000. It seems kind of pawltry when you consider loss of life, burn wounds, etc.

By the time he pays his lawyers, why bother?

[sos]

i'll bet he doesn't need the money. i doubt, therefore, it's about the money. i think, given how traumatic an experience this was for him, and the fact that he lost two of his very good friends, it is the principle of the matter that he is concerned with. frankly, i think it's kind of a classy move, when you consider how lawsuit happy we as a nation have become.

[auramac]

He needs a new neck.. and brain.

[Eric8869]

So do you obviously

[preemptivelove]

who is he going to sue for that long neck of his?

[carlgt1]

wow, how "punk rock" can you get -- suing over your private jet!

[progressivelady]

you have the Right to feel safe, it is america and Iam sure that Jet was'nt cheap

[Catfish1968]

I don't think anyone has confused blink 182 with punk rock anymore. That's pretty much a non issue by now, don't you think?

[Fbart]

The company that owns the jet has a duty to provide him with reasonable transportation, which may include a duty to investigate the safety of the jet before it takes off. If they don't do this he has a claim. But to say its the pilots fault, i think, may be a stretch because they made a decision, as trained pilots, to do what they thought would bring about the safest result.

[smallfish]

even the rebellious become apart of the system eventually. you can't rebel against a system that you put to work for yourself. travis is more business man than artist.
i'm glad that he is alive and well though.

[Big0725]

He's covered with tattoos all the way up to his chin and he has the audacity to sue for disfigurement?

[1manisland]

And those tattoos are going to look nasty covered in scars.

[Eric8869]

Tattoos are art - burns are not

[boycentric]

OK you know what..? That dudes neck freaks me out..!! Its really long and giraffe-like. It actually reminds me of an Anaconda... he could be the stand in on the next sequel if there is one... I think he will actually be suing for a hell of a lot more then 25k. That barely covers food and heat..

[gifu]

He looks like one of his parents was a giraffe!

[BabooKyra]

He's suing for $25,000?

Blessed Be, BabooKyra

[Mattie]

I just asked my husband, if I was reading the number wrong. I'm an accountant (LOL), so I didn't think so. It must be a misprint.

[Aabby]

I bet it's 25 Million. 25 thousand wont even cover lawyers.

[k1k2lee]

That's a technical requirement that simply puts the case into the regular case load rather than the limited jurisdiction which is anything UNDER 25K. So you just ask for something 25K or more and that puts the case into the "unlimited" jurisdiction. It doesn't mean he is only seeking that much in damages. In fact, in CA it is not proper to ask for the actual sum in the complaint itself.

[chickenpieeggs]

that's to pay for a year's supply of turtlenecks....

[BabooKyra]

He's suing for $25,000? I have a feeling that may not be right...

Blessed Be, Babookyra

[Tamoomoo]

So Goodyear does not own the plane, then -- you should correct that second sentence. They made the tires.

[zenwhenicanbe2]

Yeah! You tell em Travis! Those pilots need to be fired and sued for everything they're worth....
Wait....aren't they.. IN THE GROUND!

Rock star neck tattoo guy, give me a break. Everyone knows it was the pilots fault you master of the obvious! They probably realized it as they were burning up like the guy in Indiana Jones. You're a headcase.

[Mattie]

so, if someone crashed a plane you were on, and you were severely burned, and someone was negligent, you wouldn't sue. How about if a drunk driver hit your family and friends and killed them, injuring you. The drunk died, you would just let bygones be bygones. I'm not saying I believe in every frivolous lawsuit, but he probably racked up huge medical bills, and he probably did go through a lot of pain. What if the maintenance company didn't keep the jet repaired up to standards, would you just say oh well. Sometimes, not always, but sometimes, there is someone to blame.

[DocManhattan]

The trouble is, the exact cause of the accident still hasn't been ascertained. The NTSB is still investigating. The tire was not the only issue -- there's still a question over why the thrust reverser didn't deploy as it should if the pilots are trying to abort a take-off. If the thrust reverser was faulty, the pilots may have acted completely properly and it may not have been their fault at all.

It just seems to be bad form for Barker to blame them in a lawsuit before the investigation's over.

[zenwhenicanbe2]

Poorly maintained jet is one thing, and no offense but the logic behind your drunk driving analogy is off. The pilots were almost certainly not drunk and most likely made a life ending mistake that they regret with every cell of their being. The drunk driver analogy requires a malicious or reckless person and these pilots were professionals who were providing a service to Barker. They screwed up and now they are Rotting in the ground. You don't sue people that are DEAD.

I must have missed the memo that says that there aren't any accidents in the 21st century, only culpable mistakes that require litigation.......
Boo!

[MajorKong]

He's not suing the pilots. He's suing the company that hired, trained and employed the pilots.

I hate to second-guess another pilot, but rejecting a takeoff at high speed due to a blown tire is usually a bad idea for several reasons:

1. Jets are made to go, not stop. Anything past 100 knots, other than an engine failure, you're usually better off taking it in the air.

2. A blown tire makes it that much harder to stop because you have one less brake.

3. If you take it in the air, you can burn or dump fuel to reduce your landing speed and find a nice long runway somewhere to put it down on.

[SlippingInTheDip]

they were sooooo excited about re-reporting about Jolie.....

[SlippingInTheDip]

LOL

[113]

yo editors, i know it's late on the weekend but at least sober up before trying to match an article to the proper headline.