Travis Barker continues to struggle with PTSD and his major fear of flying nearly two decades after a deadly plane crash nearly took his life. The Blink 182 drummer recently opened up about how much of a struggle it’s been for him to get on a flight, especially with the news of recent plane crashes in the media. The musician is now being candid about his fear of flying and how it takes a toll on his life and his career.
According to Fox News, Travis Barker recently confessed that he almost didn’t get on a plane to attend his Run Travis Run event in New Orleans during Super Bowl weekend. The drummer was also in town to perform at the FanDuel x Spotify Super Bowl Party. However, he had to push himself to fly out to Louisanna as his PTSD was at an all-time high due to devastating plane crashes that have made headlines in recent weeks.
“It actually doesn’t help me move past it, it makes it much worse. I almost didn’t come,” Barker admitted. “It’s hard for me to get on flights,” he continued. “I do it sober. I don’t need to take anything. I don’t need to do anything. But it just gets harder and harder. Especially when your biggest fears, like, you start to see them come to life in reality.
When you kind of tell yourself, these things never happen. These things never happen. And then, just lately, I feel like we’ve been โ like we’re seeing it almost every day.”
Travis Barker Says Recent Plane Crashes Bring Back Memories Of His Terrifying Crash
Barker appeared to be referencing the Army Black Hawk helicopter that crashed into the American Airlines commercial plane over the Potomac in late January. All 67 people involved in that crash were tragically killed. Just days later, a medical jet crashed in Philadelphia, killing all six people on board.
The plane crashes likely bring back some very difficult memories for Barker, whose plane crashed in 2008. Barker and his friend Adam “DJ AM” Goldstein’s plane caught fire and crashed in South Carolina. Of the six people on board the aircraft, only Barker and Goldstein survived.
However, the men didn’t come out of the crash unscathed. The drummer suffered severe burns all over his body and spent 11 weeks in the hospital. He also underwent 16 surgeries to repair damage from the injuries. Goldstein also suffered burns in the crash. Sadly, just one year later, he died of a drug overdose.
Following the plane crash, Travis Barker vowed that he would never again fly. However, in 2021, with the help of his wife, Kourtney Kardashian, he took his first flight in years. Since that time, Barker has seemingly been getting more comfortable in the air. However, it’s understandably a struggle for him to board an airplane.
Thankfully, Travis Barker seems to have a good support system to help him with the trauma from his own plane crash. With Kourtney Kardashian and his children by his side, the family likely offers their love and patience when it comes to the Blink 182 drummer’s PTSD.
