John Travolta is reflecting on a near death experience he faced 30 years ago.
The 69-year-old actor, who also has his pilot license, recounted this incident during a Q&A session at the London premiere of the new short film, “The Shepherd,” Variety reported.
Travolta cited his harrowing experience as to why he was drawn to the story, which tells the tale of a pilot flying home for Christmas when his de Havilland Vampire jet experiences electrical failure, but is ultimately guided safely by another mysterious pilot.
“I actually experienced a total electrical failure, not in a Vampire but in a corporate jet over Washington D.C.,” Travolta explained. “So when I read (Frederick Forsyth’s) book, it resonated even more because of this experience I personally had.”
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Travolta added, “I knew what it felt like to absolutely think you’re going to die.”
The Washington Post reported that on Nov. 24, 1992, Travolta — who has been flying since 1978 — was piloting a Gulfstream II turbojet from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Rockland, Maine with six passengers, including his wife, the late Kelly Preston, and their then-infant son, Jett. Mid-flight, the plane's electrical system failed, which left Travolta with only a flashlight and compass to navigate the rest of the flight.
Controllers tried to direct a commercial flight into the airspace of Travolta’s jet in an attempt to guide him to safety using the larger plane’s lights. However, there was a close call when the two aircrafts converged on the radar and nearly collided. But the planes ultimately passed one another.
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Travolta was able to land the plane at National Airport in Arlington, Virginia by using the jet’s emergency brake. Despite the tires blowing out, none of the passengers were hurt during the incident.
“I had two good jet engines but I had no instruments, no electric, nothing. And I thought it was over,” Travolta said at the premiere. “And then as if by a miracle, we descended as per the rules to a lower altitude. I saw that Washington D.C. monument and identified that Washington National Airport was right next to it and I made a landing just like [Freddie] does in the film.”
After his near-death experience, Travolta continued to fly. The “Pulp Fiction” star eventually purchased a de Havilland Vampire of his own, the same jet that the character Freddie Hooke pilots in Forsyth’s novella, which Travolta found shortly thereafter.
“So I’m reading this book saying, ‘I’ve lived with this,’” he said. “And of course, I was young enough then that I could have played this part [of Freddie]. But I had to wait 30 years to play the Shepherd.”
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