'I thought it was over': John Travolta recalls near-fatal experience while flying plane with Kelly Preston
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: John Travolta has recently talked about an unforgettable, near-fatal experience he shared with his late wife Kelly Preston.
The apparent incident reportedly happened in 1992 when he was traveling to Rockland, Maine from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
The star opened up about it during a special screening of his short drama movie, ‘The Shepherd’.
‘I thought it was over’
The 69-year-old actor said on Thursday, November 23, as reported by OK! that at the time he was flying the aircraft while Preston, their son Jett, and four other passengers were on board.
Recalling the nightmare, Travolta reportedly disclosed, “I had two good jet engines, but I had no instruments, no electric, nothing. And I thought it was over.”
The ‘Grease’ star continued, “And then as if by a miracle, we descended as per the rules to lower altitude.
“I saw the Washington DC monument and identified that Washington National Airport was next to it and I made a landing just like [Freddie] does in the film.”
‘When I read [Forsyth’s] book, it resonated even more’
Travolta also mentioned that he chose to work in ‘The Shepherd’ because he could relate to its story, which is based on Frederick Forsyth's novel of the same name.
He added, “When I read [Forsyth’s] book, it resonated even more because of this experience I had personally had.”
The synopsis of the movie on IMDb states, “On Christmas Eve, a fighter pilot on his way home gets lost mid-flight over water and needs a miracle to land safely.”
‘John misses her [Kelly Preston] every day’
Though the ‘Pulp Fiction’ star survived the mishap along with his family at the time, he lost Jett and Preston over the years to a seizure and breast cancer respectively.
However, Travolta has reportedly not lost his desire to live life to the fullest.
A source shared, “Turning 70 is a milestone he’s looking forward to despite losing Kelly and Jett. John still has a zest for life.”
The source also asserted, “It’s been a struggle since Kelly died,” before adding, “She made life so beautiful. John misses her every day — her voice, her hugs, everything. She was perfect and hilarious.”
