In a new chat with the Wall Street Journal, Travis Barker talked about why he quit flying after his second try.
“I was good for a while. But that Brazilian plane crash had me spiraling when I was in Europe,” the drummer said about flying on the band’s tour in Australia earlier this year. “God bless all those people’s souls.”
“I was affected more than I’ve been in a long time, and it led to me having one of the realest flashback nightmares I’ve had since my accident, and I couldn’t fly the rest of the tour,” Barker further spoke about the incident where a plane with 62 people that crashed near Sao Paulo airport in Brazil in early August.
He continued, “I did 15 19-hour bus rides, I did ferries. I just had to fly to Europe and back. But I’m not in a great state to fly right now and I’m busing the rest of the year. I have my good times and my bad times, and right now I’m really triggered.”
For years, Barker avoided flying after a 2008 crash that killed both pilots, his security guard, and his assistant. His tourmate DJ AM survived the crash but died from a drug overdose a year later.
In August 2021, Barker flew again with help from his wife Kourtney Kardashian. They took a private jet from Camarillo, California, to Cabo San Lucas for vacation. Barker had wanted to fly again and credited Kardashian for helping him make a plan.
“There’s a million things that could happen to me. I could die riding my skateboard. I could get in a car accident. I could get shot. Anything could happen. I could have a brain aneurysm and die. So why should I still be afraid of airplanes?” said Barker in a previous interview. “I have to [fly again]. I want to make the choice to try and overcome it.”
Right now, Barker is in the U.S. with Blink-182. They have shows coming up at the Oceans Calling festival in Ocean City, Maryland, on September 27 and at the South Star Music Festival in Huntsville, Alabama, on September 29. The band will also perform at the Austin City Limits Festival in Austin, Texas, on October 4 and 11, and they’ll play in Mexico City at Foro Sol on November 9.