Travis Barker is opening up about an eerie warning he received from his daughter, Alabama Barker, before the 2008 plane crash that nearly took his life. He shared the story on the On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast.
The Blink-182 drummer recalled the moments leading up to the crash, which claimed the lives of several tour companions. He described how his young daughter’s unusual reaction gave him an unsettling premonition before he boarded the flight.
“I say bye to Bama. She’s young at the time. She’s three or four years old [nearly 2 years and 9 months at the time of the crash],” Barker said. “She’s like, ‘Dad, don’t go!’ She’s bawling and she doesn’t usually do that. She’s like, ‘The roof’s gonna come off’ and I’m like, ‘What is she talking about?'”
Barker went on to explain that the strange encounter left him with a sense of foreboding he had never experienced before.
“I knew. I knew something feels off. I even told my dad if something happens to me, please make sure my kids are taken care of. I was saying way too much. All the signs were there,” he continued.
Reflecting on how he might handle a similar situation today, Barker said he would likely act differently.
“Now older me would just say, ‘I think I’m not gonna get on the plane.’ Everything was there and I never felt like that before,” he said.
The crash Barker is referring to took place on September 19, 2008. It remains one of the most harrowing survival stories in music history.
The private jet, a Learjet 60, went down during takeoff from Columbia Metropolitan Airport in South Carolina. Six people were on board. Four of them died, including the plane’s captain and first officer along with two passengers. Barker was traveling with his assistant, Chris Baker, his security guard, Charles “Che” Still, and his close friend Adam “DJ AM” Goldstein.
Barker and Goldstein were the only two survivors. Both suffered critical injuries. Barker sustained third-degree burns over roughly 65 percent of his body. He endured numerous surgeries and a lengthy recovery in the years that followed.
Investigators later determined that the tires on the aircraft burst during takeoff. The burst tires triggered a fire that engulfed the plane after it overran the runway. Barker has since spoken candidly about the physical and emotional toll the crash took on him, including struggles with PTSD in the years after the accident.
Barker’s account of his daughter’s warning adds a haunting layer to a tragedy that already shaped much of his public and personal life. The drummer has often credited his survival, and his outlook on fatherhood, to the events of that night.
