“Broke My Back in Three Places” – Ric Flair Details Coming Out Alive of a Horrific Plane Crash That Almost Ended His Wrestling Career

Ric Flair has been a part of the pro wrestling industry for over 50 years. Having held the world championship a record 16 times, he left a distinctive mark on the industry, in the course of his career. But his epic run almost could have ended before it ever began.

Pro wrestlers often suffer plenty of injuries that are sometimes even life-threatening. Though the ‘Nature Boy’ also had many injuries in the past, the one accident that almost took his life didn’t happen inside the ropes.

Ric Flair suffered a back fracture in a crash landing

The latest edition of The Joe Rogan Experience featured Flair as the special guest on the show. During the interview, the show guest detailed his horrifying plane crash incident that happened in October 1975. Talking about the accident, he gave all the nitty-gritty details and mentioned the impact it had on him.

The ‘Nature Boy’ mentioned that the plane accident led to him having a back fracture. He said, “Broke my back in three places; T10, 11, and 12. Compression fracture. I used to be 6’2”. No surgery at all.” The doctors reportedly informed him that he would never wrestle again. But after 5-6 months of recovery training and sheer determination, he came back to the squared circle in March 1976. He also revealed that the accident wasn’t financially easy.

The two-time WWE Hall of Famer began his throwback story by stating that he boarded a plane from Charlotte and the destination was Wilmington, North Carolina. There were 5 people on the plane. They were Joseph Michael Farkas (the pilot), Johnny Valentine, Bob Bruggers, Tim Woods, and David Crockett.

Out of six total passengers, only five survived the deadly incident. The pilot’s injuries were reportedly more severe than the others and hence he succumbed to death. The accident happened because of a couple of reasons and during the podcast, the WWE legend sheds more light on the subject.

All the passengers combined reportedly weighed around 1400 lbs, which was over the weight limit of the aircraft. Apart from the weight issue, the plane also had to deal with headwinds. In addition, the pilot allegedly made a grave mistake by not refilling the fuel tank even when he had the chance to do so.

These factors led the fuel tank to deplete rapidly and before the plane could arrive at its destination, the fuel tank went empty. As a result, the engines failed and the aircraft ultimately crashed about 220 yards from the runway.

Read More: The Undertaker’s Son Is Potentially Injured as Michelle McCool Posts Concerning Picture

What are your thoughts on Ric Flair’s plane crash story? Tell us in the comments below.

Watch This Story: As Big As-Serena Williams’ WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair Makes A Huge Statement About Daughter Charlotte Flair