Life on the road can present some harrowing situations for a musician. Air travel has claimed the lives of a number of artists over the years (Buddy Holly, three members of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Stevie Ray Vaughan, John Denver, Patsy Cline and others) and in a new interview, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross recalled a flight they thought spelled the end for everyone onboard.

The Quietus asked the duo when the last time they found themselves in a situation they weren't going to get out of without death or serious injury. Ross said, "As a middle aged father I don’t tend to get into those kind of situations anymore," and referenced his time in New York during the acid house music period and how he once had a gun shoved in his mouth. As for a more recent example, he cited a flight from Coachella to Las Vegas and Reznor picked up from there.

“I don’t know how typical it was," Reznor said before explaining the plane experienced a big vertical drop before leveling out once again. “Bassnectar was on the flight too and I remember him sitting next to me and I wasn’t sure who he was at first. But when you have a near death experience on a plane, that changes everything," said the Nine Inch Nails mainman. "We may have been holding hands by the time we regained altitude," he went on, noting, "I never used to be conscious of it but now I’m aware that I’m in a flying tin can of potential death every time I step onto a plane.”

Nine Inch Nails will embark on a U.S. tour starting in September with scattered dates scheduled through mid-December. Support will come from The Jesus and Mary Chain and to see a list of all stops, head here.

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