Travis Barker recalls daughter Alabama's premonition before 2008 plane crash
The Blink-182 drummer shares how his then-toddler daughter begged him not to board the fateful flight that killed four others.
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Summary, timeline and people extracted by Claude from 10 items across 2 sources · 27m ago. Quotes are verbatim.
Travis Barker recalled on the On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast that his daughter Alabama, then 2–4 years old, became distraught before he boarded a private plane in September 2008, pleading "Dad, don't go!" and saying "The roof's gonna come off." Barker himself had strong misgivings about the flight—including concerns about the small plane, the lack of vetting of the pilot and maintenance, and foggy conditions—but his manager discouraged him from canceling, and his father reassured him. The plane crashed shortly after takeoff; Barker and DJ AM were the only two of six passengers to survive, though four others died including Barker's assistant and security guard.
- Travis Barker attributes multiple missed warning signs—his daughter's distressed plea, his own instincts about the plane, foggy conditions, lack of crew vetting—to a moment where he should have trusted his gut and canceled.
- Alabama Barker, then 2–4 years old, reportedly warned her father that "the roof's gonna come off" before the flight, a specific prediction of the crash's mechanism.
- Four of six passengers died in the 2008 crash (two pilots, Barker's assistant, and his security guard); Barker survived with severe burns requiring 27 surgeries and six months in a burn center.
- Barker reflects 18 years later that he would now choose not to board a plane if he felt unsafe, rather than deferring to pressure from his manager and father.
How it unfolded
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Multiple news outlets (E! News, Page Six, Yahoo News Canada, Cleveland.com, AL.com, NJ.com, MassLive, PennLive, The Oregonian) report Barker's account of Alabama's premonition and his own doubts about the flight, ahead of his upcoming documentary Travis Barker: Louder Than Fear releasing August 13.
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On the On Purpose podcast, Barker recounts Alabama's distressed warning before the flight and his own misgivings. He notes he had offered to cancel but was discouraged by his manager, and that all warning signs were present but he proceeded anyway.
“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?'”
Travis Barker · Google News ↗ - 933 weeks quiet
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The chartered plane malfunctions shortly after takeoff and crashes. Barker and DJ AM survive with severe burns; assistant Chris Baker, security guard Charles Still, and both pilots are killed. Investigation later attributes the crash to under-inflated tires that damaged the hydraulic system.
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Barker, DJ AM, assistant Chris Baker, and security guard Charles Still board a small private plane in fog near midnight to return home after performing near the University of South Carolina. Barker had already expressed doubts to his manager and father about the flight.
What people are saying verbatim
“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?'”
Travis Barker, Blink-182 drummer · On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast ↗ · Aug 9
“I'd said to my manager, 'Is it too late to just pull out? I don't really need to do this.' I was just so content with being home with the kiddos, and he's like, 'Bro, you can't cancel this late.'”
Travis Barker, Blink-182 drummer · On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast ↗ · Aug 9
“I had an awful feeling. My dad was like, 'You're gonna be fine. Just get on the plane. Call me when you get home.'”
Travis Barker, Blink-182 drummer · On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast ↗ · Aug 9
“I even told my dad, 'If something happens to me, please make sure the kids are taken care of.' I was saying way too much. All the signs were there.”
Travis Barker, Blink-182 drummer · On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast ↗ · Aug 9
“Older me would just say, 'I think I'm not going to get on the plane.'”
Travis Barker, Blink-182 drummer · On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast ↗ · Aug 9
“There's usually a bunch of hoops to jump through to book me a plane because even back then, without an accident, I was like, 'Who's the pilot? Has the plane been maintenanced?'”
Travis Barker, Blink-182 drummer · On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast ↗ · Aug 9