Features
More Lawsuits Over Travis Barker / DJ AM Jet Crash
The owner and operator of a Learjet that crashed at Columbia Metropolitan Airport last year, killing four people and injuring Travis Barker and DJ AM, is suing the airport, the plane’s manufacturer and a tire company.
Photo: AP Photo
Investigators look over the debris left by the Learjet that was carrying Travis Barker and DJ-AM.
The State newspaper reported Friday that the jet’s owner, Inter Travel & Services Inc. of Irvine, Calif., and the operator, Global Exec Aviation Inc. of Long Beach, Calif., are seeking more than $12 million in damages. The two companies claim the design of the airport’s runway and of the jet were defective.
Rock drummer Travis Barker and celebrity disc jockey DJ AM, whose real name is Adam Goldstein, were burned in the Sept. 19 crash that killed the pilot, co-pilot and two of Barker’s assistants.
The lawsuit, originally filed in a South Carolina court, was transferred to U.S. District Court in Columbia on Tuesday.
The suit contends the runway overrun area was not long enough for the plane to stop, that the fencing and other airport equipment damaged the jet’s fuel containers and that the lowered roadway around the airport caused the nose-first crash into a raised embankment.
The airport has denied the allegations in court papers.
The suit also names Learjet Inc., Bombardier Aerospace Corp. and Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. as defendants.
“It’s pretty common to have lawsuits filed after an incident,” said Leo Knaapen, spokesman for Learjet manufacturer Bombardier Aerospace. Knaapen would not comment specifically on the South Carolina case.
Goodyear spokesman Ed Markey said Friday the company is disappointed the suit was filed before the National Transportation Safety Board completed its investigation.
“While the tires may have been involved, it is still too early to speculate on a cause,” Markey said. “The performance of a tire is dependent upon how the tire was used, if it was properly maintained and whether it was damaged before the accident.”
Photo: AP Photo
DJ AM, left and Travis Barker backstage at the 2008 MTV Video Music Award.
At least four other lawsuits have been filed after the crash, including ones by Barker and Goldstein in Los Angeles.
Federal investigators have not yet determined the cause of the crash.
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.