Suit Claims Plane Was Improperly Maintained And Operated

A lawsuit has been filed by former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker stemming from the September 19 crash of a Learjet 60 at Columbia Metropolitan Airport in South Carolina.

Claiming the plane was improperly maintained and operated, Barker seeks damages for pain and suffering, disfigurement, loss of earnings, and medical and legal expenses, according to Associated Press reports.

The suit names Global Exec Aviation, Clay Lacy Aviation, Inter Travel, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, and Bombardier as defendants. Alleging the plane was defective, the lawsuit also claims the pilots were improperly trained and should have continued the takeoff instead of aborting it.

Joining Barker in the legal action is Thelma Martin Still, the mother of Barker's former bodyguard Charles Monroe Still Jr., who was killed in the crash. She seeks damages for pain and suffering, disfigurement, loss of earnings, and medical and legal expenses.

As ANN reported, investigators believe the plane's crew was attempting to abort the takeoff due to a suspected blown tire when it careened off the end of a runway, killing four of the six persons on board.

National Transportation Safety Board member Debbie Hersman told the Associated Press a cockpit voice recording indicates, "The crew reacted to a sound that was consistent with a tire blowout." She added pieces of tire were recovered about 2,800 feet from where the plane started its takeoff run on the 8,600-foot runway.

Hersman said an investigation is underway, although a probable cause report from the NTSB on the crash is at least a year away.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov