Bono’s Lear Jet Scare in Mid-Air

Even rock stars have to face that the fact that, like the rest of us mere mortals, they might encounter some very sobering experiences, like when Bono had a scare Wednesday on his Lear Jet.

According to a report at nbcnews.com:

U2 singer Bono had a mid-air scare on Wednesday when the rear door of his private jet plummeted at least 15,000 feet to the ground. The rock star and four friends were aboard the Learjet 60 traveling from Dublin to Berlin when the mishap occurred over Germany, authorities said.

Luckily, the plane landed safely and the two pilots only found out later that the aircraft had lost its door and two suitcases from the luggage compartment.

The passengers said they heard/felt a rumble similar to turbulence but they didn't feel any change in how the plane was flying (the luggage compartment isn't connected to the pressurized cabin, so there was no loss of pressure when the door fell off).

U2 is in Berlin to receive a Bambi entertainment award.

According to independent.co.uk, Larry Mullen, the Edge and Adam Clayton were not on board the flight, and were set to travel separately to the awards show last night.

Bono had apparently flown ahead of them to attend a diplomatic event with Gerd Mueller, the German minister of economic cooperation and development.