John Travolta has faced his fair share of challenges throughout his life. The actor has experienced unimaginable loss, including the death of his son Jett in 2009 and his wife Kelly Preston in 2020. Recently, Travolta shared a harrowing story about a near-death experience that left him shaken.
In 1992, Travolta was flying his family to their vacation home in Maine for Thanksgiving. On board were his wife Kelly, their eight-month-old son Jett, and several other passengers. The flight took off from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but soon encountered a catastrophic electrical failure. Travolta, an experienced pilot, was left to navigate the plane to safety without any instruments.
“I knew what it felt like to absolutely think you’re going to die,” Travolta recalled in a recent interview. The actor’s quick thinking and piloting skills ultimately saved the day, as he managed to make an emergency landing at Washington National Airport.
The incident was a wake-up call for Travolta, who later discovered that his plane had narrowly avoided a collision with a Boeing 727 carrying 182 passengers. This harrowing experience would go on to inspire Travolta’s latest project, a film adaptation of Frederick Forsyth’s novel “The Shepherd.”
Travolta’s own near-death experience resonated deeply with the novel’s storyline, which follows a young Royal Air Force pilot who suffers a similar electrical failure while flying home for Christmas. The actor purchased the rights to the book but was unable to work on the project until 30 years later.
Travolta’s determination to bring this story to life is a testament to the profound impact that his near-death experience had on his life. The actor’s courage and resilience in the face of adversity are an inspiration to us all.
