More details of the plane crash involving Travis Barker and DJ AM are coming out, and although the men were fortunate to have survived, they have a long road to recovery ahead.
According to a friend, both men suffered from second and third degree burns – but Adam’s were the most severe. He is in an incubator to keep him in a sterile environment.
“[DJ AM] is really, really badly burned – his face is very burned. More than 50 percent of his body is burned and the worst is on his face. [Barker was burned] mostly from the waist down.”
Before takeoff Adam emailed a friend a photo of himself standing in front of the plane.
Here’s what officials know about the crash so far:
Federal officials say the doomed crew of a Learjet that crashed in South Carolina thought a tire on the plane blew as they started down the runway.
National Transportation Safety Board member Debbie Hersman said Sunday that crew members told air traffic controllers they heard a tire burst and tried to abort the takeoff Friday night.
Hersman says the conversation between the plane’s crew and the air traffic controllers is captured on a cockpit voice recorderthat was recovered from the wreckage. She says the cause of the crash is being investigated.
The Learjet crashed through a fence and shot over a highway before stopping on an embankment.
As the plane was departing, air traffic controllers reported seeing sparks, officials said. The plane hurtled off the end of a runway and came to rest a quarter-mile away on an embankment across a five-lane highway, engulfed in flames.
One witness said he was driving when a fireball streaked across the highway about 600 feet ahead of him. William Owens said he approached to see the two survivors frantically trying to remove their burning clothes.
“I noticed two guys who were on fire and it looked like a dance: They didn’t know what to do,” said Owens, a 60-year-old delivery van driver.
Goldstein had stripped off his own shirt and was helping Barker strip naked, said Owens, who was able to identify the men Saturday night because of news reports that showed Barker’s 
extensive tattoos.
Owens said Goldstein told him four other people were on board the jet, but the flames were too intense to get close.
“‘Oh my God’ was all they were saying,” Owens said of Barker and Goldstein. “They stood there and it’s like — didn’t know what to do. None of us did.”
[Associated Press]
Barker’s friend “Lil Chris” Baker died in the crash along with four other people. Baker had just been married and was the father of a newborn baby. “He was the sweetest, nicest guy. He was like Travis’ right-hand man.”
Both Barker and Goldstein are in critical but stable condition at the Joseph Still Burn Center in Augusta, Ga. Recovery is expected to take up to one year, but both are expected to fully recover.
Reps from both Barker and Goldstein released the following joint statement,
“Both Travis Barker and Adam Goldstein are in critical but stable condition and are being treated at Joseph M. Still Burn Center in Augusta, Georgia after surviving a plane crash late last night in Columbia, South Carolina. The hospital will issue a statement with an update on their condition at 9 a.m. eastern time tomorrow.
Due to the nature of the injuries and the evolving course of treatment, no further information on their condition is available at this time.
The accident claimed the lives of four people on board, two of whom, Chris Baker (Lil Chris) and Charles Stills (Che), were close friends of the injured.
On behalf of Travis Barker and DJ AM, deepest sympathy is expressed to the loved ones of all who perished in the crash. As the two recuperate and mourn this loss, privacy for them, their families, and friends is requested at this time.”
This is so terribly sad. My heart goes out to friends and family of all victims.
“I hate planes. My biggest fear ever is to be involved in a plane crash, so when that happened – well, I’m just thankful to be alive. I’m just grateful to be here at all.”
