ex-Blink182 drummer & celeb DJ critical after plane crash

[JonInMiddleGA]

My Way News - 4 killed in SC plane crash; drummer, DJ injured (http://apnews.myway.com//article/20080920/D93AJDSO5.html)

WEST COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - Hours after performing for thousands of South Carolina college students, former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and celebrity DJ AM were critically injured in a fiery Learjet crash that killed four people, authorities said Saturday.

Officials said the plane carrying six people was departing shortly before midnight Friday when air traffic controllers reporting seeing sparks. The plane hurtled off the end of a runway and crashed through antennas and a fence. It came to rest on an embankment across a five-lane highway and was engulfed in flames, said Debbie Hersman, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board.

Barker and DJ AM, whose real name is Adam Goldstein, were in critical condition at a burn center in Augusta, Ga., about 75 miles southwest of Columbia, hospital spokeswoman Beth Frits said.

Two other passengers - 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, according to the county coroner. Baker was an assistant to Barker and Still was a security guard for the musician.
...
At the crash site Saturday, the air was still heavy with the odor of jet fuel. A trail of black soot led off a runway. The nose of the aircraft was gone and the roof was missing from two-thirds of the charred plane.

"It's absolutely terrible and tragic," Columbia Mayor Bob Coble said.

Barker and Goldstein had performed together under the name TRVSDJ-AM at a free concert in Columbia on Friday night. Event sponsor T-Mobile said their hourlong set ended at about 7:15 p.m.

The show, which included performances by former Jane's Addiction singer Perry Farrell and singer Gavin DeGraw, drew 10,000 people into the streets of Five Points, the neighborhood near the University of South Carolina, Coble said. ...

[PilotMan]

damn. :(

[Northwood_DK]

I was expecting a bit more insight on a plane crash from you PilotMan then just damn.

;)

[MrBug708]

Sad stuff. Blink is probably one of my favorite bands of all time

[QuikSand]

Meanwhile, John Travolta is just fine.

[PilotMan]

I was expecting a bit more insight on a plane crash from you PilotMan then just damn.

;)


To be honest, it sounds like a high-speed abort. Without knowing any details I could guess that they were close to the go/no-go speed and decided to no-go and ran out of runway. Running out of runway, if there is nothing wrong with the airplane, is usually an indicator that the decision was made too late, or was a bad choice in the cockpit. Unfortunately, when you are going 100mph there isn't a whole lot of time to make up your mind about something. I wonder if the controller told the crew about the problem. That can sometimes be enough of a distraction, especially if there is no indication in the cockpit. Pretty much all you can do is speculate, which doesn't get you very far.

[lighthousekeeper]

Sad stuff. Blink is probably one of my favorite bands of all time

i feel old - since i don't even know who they are

[JonInMiddleGA]

My Way News - Doctor expects recovery for 2 musicians in crash (http://apnews.myway.com//article/20080921/D93B55C80.html)

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) - The medical director of the burn hospital where former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and DJ AM are being treated says both men are expected to make full recoveries.

The musicians were critically injured in a South Carolina plane crash that killed four people late Friday.

Dr. Fred Mullins said Sunday morning that both men are being treated for second- and third-degree burns at a Georgia hospital. Mullins says recovery from such burns can take as long as a year but notes the men had no other injuries.

Mullins says Barker was burned on his torso and DJ AM, whose real name is Adam Goldstein, was burned on his hands and part of his head. The doctor says both men are still in critical but stable condition.

[Glengoyne]

Meanwhile, John Travolta is just fine.

Very dependable QS. You're like a memorable post archival facility.

Oh and darn funny.

[Logan]

DJ AM was found dead in his NYC apartment today, likely drug overdose.

The Associated Press: AP source: Disc jockey DJ AM found dead in NYC (http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ir4lnUNSA3lq9WGG1cK1ci8fgOfwD9AC7JB00)

[stevew]

I guess he felt vad about cheating death?

[Galaril]

I guess I am getting fucling old since I wondering who the hell this was?

[MrBug708]

Here is hoping to Travis holding on til the Blink concert I'm seeing in 3 weeks!

[Bearcat729]

Didn't I read somewhere that he was supposed to have also been on that flight that crashed in Buffalo last winter, but didn't get on for whatever reason?

[larnott]

It was initially erroneously reported that he was supposed to be on the Buffalo flight, but it was corrected shortly after.

DJ AM Was Not Booked On Ill-Fated Buffalo Flight - News Story | Music, Celebrity, Artist News | MTV News (http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1606759/20090311/dj_am.jhtml)

[dervack]

Anyone else find it eerie that he was found dead the same day the new Final Destination came out? Just me?

[terpkristin]

With the prevalence of things like Twitter, I'm surprised articles like this aren't more commonplace. I have no idea what to make of it, his last Tweet really could mean that he was having some serious issues, or it could falsely lead people to think he died depressed, which I imagine would hurt some of those close to him.
DJ AM’s Final Tweet Draws Attention (http://mashable.com/2009/08/29/dj-am/)

/tk

[RainMaker]

Not to be insensitive, but is this guy really as big a celebrity as they are making him out to be? I mean I've heard the name but couldn't tell you anything he's done. It's kind of bizarre how we create these celebrities out of nothing.

[DaddyTorgo]

Not to be insensitive, but is this guy really as big a celebrity as they are making him out to be? I mean I've heard the name but couldn't tell you anything he's done. It's kind of bizarre how we create these celebrities out of nothing.

i hadn't heard the name until the plane crash - still have no idea of anything he's done. honestly before the plane crash i couldn't have told you that travis barker was in blink 182, and i liked blink 182 in a casual way.

*shrugs*

these people are "minor celebrities" i'd say, or like "created celebrities" by the media

[RainMaker]

I understand that celebrity news sites would take it as a big deal since they don't have much else to cover. But this was a top story on CNN and other news outlets. I can understand it with a guy like Heath Ledger who has a huge body of work, but I doubt most of the people out there could tell you what DJ AM has done.

[Logan]

I mean, it's hard to say that a DJ has "done" something. But when you're good enough at your job that a club will pay you $25K so that they can advertise you'll be there for the night and will mix songs for, at most, a couple hours, that's not a bad career. He became high profile enough that other celebrities would show up at his performances, and the connection to those celebs surely made him more famous.

On July 4th, he opened up a new club at Caesars in Atlantic City called dusk.

[DaddyTorgo]

do people actually go to clubs in order to listen to a particular DJ mix songs???

really???

[JonInMiddleGA]

do people actually go to clubs in order to listen to a particular DJ mix songs???

Seems that it often functions that celebrities will go to clubs in order to hang with a certain DJ and in turn other people with more money than sense will go in order to be in the general vicinity of those celebs.

[Logan]

do people actually go to clubs in order to listen to a particular DJ mix songs???

really???

Yeah, some people view it, and can appreciate it, as a talent, while others (like Jon says) will go because it's the thing to do. I have a roommate who DJs on the side, and while it's rare that we go to clubs, there are times when he is much more interested in hanging around the DJ booth to pick up on some stuff the guy is doing than hanging out with us.