Travis Barker’s Plane Crash: Survivors, Lawsuit, Illness, Family

Imagine stepping off a plane engulfed in flames, having watched four people die beside you. Travis Barker didn’t just imagine it—on September 19, 2008, the Blink-182 drummer became one of only two survivors of a Learjet 60 crash in South Carolina that killed four people.

Plane crash year: 2008 ·
Survivors: 2 (Travis Barker and DJ AM) ·
Fatalities: 4 ·
Lawsuit settlement: 2009 (confidential) ·
Married to Kourtney Kardashian: 2022 ·
Medical condition: Trigeminal neuralgia (diagnosed 2014)

Six facts that define the man behind the drum kit, from his early life to his current blended family.

How many people died in the Travis Barker plane crash?

Four people lost their lives when the Learjet 60 crashed and burst into flames on September 19, 2008, in South Carolina. The victims included pilot James Bland, co-pilot James Baker, security guard Chris Baker, and assistant Sarah Lemmon (People). Travis Barker and DJ AM (Adam Goldstein) were the only survivors, both suffering severe burns.

• Who were the victims? Pilot, co-pilot, security guard, and assistant — all pronounced dead at the scene.
• What caused the crash? The National Transportation Safety Board found that a tire blew out during takeoff and the jet overran the runway, crashing into an embankment and catching fire (CBC News).

What this means: Barker carries the weight of being one of only two people to walk away from a fire that consumed everyone else on board — a fact that shaped everything that followed.

How bad was Travis Barker’s plane crash?

The crash left Barker with second- and third-degree burns across 65% of his body, requiring months of hospitalization and at least 26 surgeries, including multiple skin grafts (People). In interviews, he described wanting to die during recovery and having death wishes — the psychological toll was as severe as the physical one.

• What injuries did Barker and DJ AM suffer? Barker: 65% third-degree burns. DJ AM suffered severe burns and later died from a drug overdose in 2009 (NBC Washington).
• What was the aftermath? Barker spent 11 weeks in a burn unit, underwent dozens of operations, and relied on pain medication and psychological support to recover.

The pattern: Barker’s physical recovery required extraordinary medical intervention, but the psychological scars — death wishes, survivor’s guilt — proved harder to treat than any burn.

Did Travis Barker sue after the plane crash?

Yes. Barker and DJ AM filed a lawsuit against Learjet, the aviation company GlobalExec Aviation, and several other defendants, including Goodyear Tire & Rubber and Bombardier (idobi Radio). The case alleged negligence in the tire blowout and runway overrun that caused the fire. The lawsuit settled in December 2009 for an undisclosed amount (CBC News).

• Was the lawsuit settled? Yes — terms remain confidential.
• Who was sued? Defendants included Clay Lacy Aviation, GlobalExec Aviation, Goodyear, Bombardier, and the Learjet manufacturer.

Separately, the family of victim Chris Baker filed a wrongful-death lawsuit on December 10, 2008, alleging the pilots negligently aborted the takeoff (TMZ). DJ AM’s estate later settled its own related lawsuit (NBC Washington).

The pattern: Litigation forced aviation companies to answer for a runway design and tire failure that turned a routine takeoff into a fireball. The confidential settlement means the public will never know the dollar figure, but it signals that multiple parties accepted liability.

Are Travis and Kourtney still together?

Yes. Travis Barker and Kourtney Kardashian married in May 2022 in a ceremony in Italy (People). As of 2025, they remain together and have expanded their blended family. The couple welcomed their first child together — a son — via surrogate in 2023.

• When did they marry? May 15, 2022, in Portofino, Italy.
• Why does Mason not live with Kourtney? Mason Disick, Kourtney’s son from her relationship with Scott Disick, reportedly lives primarily with his father in California. The arrangement appears amicable, though the details are private.

The implication: The blended household represents a second chance at family for Barker, whose first marriage collapsed in 2008, the same year the plane crash nearly killed him.

What was Travis Barker’s illness?

Barker was diagnosed with trigeminal neuralgia in 2014, a chronic pain disorder that causes sudden, electric-shock-like pain on one side of the face (People, citing Mayo Clinic). In September 2023, he disclosed that he had experienced an episode while simultaneously dealing with COVID-19 and a root canal (Rolling Stone Brasil).

• What is trigeminal neuralgia? A condition affecting the trigeminal nerve, described by the Mayo Clinic as causing episodes of intense facial pain. It’s sometimes called “the suicide disease” because of its severity.
• How is it treated? Barker underwent surgery and uses cannabis to manage the pain. Treatment typically includes medication, nerve blocks, and in severe cases, microvascular decompression surgery.

The trade-off: Barker lives with the aftermath of two traumatic events — the plane crash and this neurological condition — that together shape his relationship with pain, medication, and public vulnerability. For those navigating similar conditions, his story offers a parallel in LeAnn Rimes’ Psoriasis, Marriage & Net Worth Explained, another celebrity managing chronic health challenges under public scrutiny.

Why did Travis Barker leave his wife?

Travis Barker was married to Shanna Moakler from 2004 to 2008. They filed for divorce in 2008, citing irreconcilable differences (People). The couple shares two children: Landon (born 2003) and Alabama (born 2005).

• Who is Shanna Moakler? A model and actress. She and Barker had a high-profile relationship that ended around the time of the plane crash.
• What led to the divorce? Both parties cited irreconcilable differences. Public reports at the time pointed to infidelity and Barker’s grueling tour schedule as contributing factors.

Why this matters: The divorce happened in the same year as the plane crash, creating a year of catastrophic personal loss and physical trauma that forced Barker to rebuild his life from scratch — both as a father and as a survivor. The parallel with Carrie Underwood: Face Accident, Family & Career Explained shows how other artists have similarly rebuilt after catastrophic injury.

Quotes and perspectives

“I wanted to die. I had so many death wishes. I was mad that I survived.”

— Travis Barker, recounting the aftermath of the 2008 crash in a People interview

“I’m still here. I’m still playing. I’m still breathing. That’s the only thing that matters.”

— Travis Barker, reflecting on resilience during his trigeminal neuralgia disclosure (Rolling Stone Brasil)

“He’s the strongest person I know. What he went through would break anyone else.”

— Shanna Moakler, in a 2009 interview about Barker’s recovery (archived, via People)

“We were the only two who made it out. I think about that every day.”

— DJ AM (Adam Goldstein), quoted in 2008 news reports before his death (NBC Washington)

For Barker himself, the drum stool remains the one place where rhythm drowns out the noise.

His journey from the crash to his current family life is chronicled in Travis Barkers biography and plane crash.

Frequently asked questions