WEST COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- 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.

NTSB spokeswoman Debbie Hersman said Sunday that crew members
told air traffic controllers they heard a tire burst and tried to
abort the takeoff Friday night.

Former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and celebrity disc jockey
DJ AM were injured in the crash that killed four other people on
board.

Hersman says the conversation between the plane's crew and the
air traffic controllers is captured on a cockpit voice recorder
that 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.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)