Harrison Ford Involved In Plane Incident At Orange County Airport – Report

According to multiple media reports today, Star Wars and Indiana Jones actor Harrison Ford was involved in an airplane incident in Southern California on Monday.

Photo by Mike Ullery.
Harrison Ford prepares for his ride in a Blue Angels FA-18 Hornet at Oshkosh.

As reported by NBC News, the incident took place at Orange County’s John Wayne Airport.  From the report: “Ford, an experienced pilot who collects vintage planes, had been instructed to land on runway 20-L at John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California but mistakenly aimed for a taxiway instead. His plane passed over the top of an American Airlines 737 loaded with 110 passengers and a six-person crew.

That plane took off safely “just minutes after the incident,” according to the report.

Ford reportedly asked air traffic controllers, “Was that airliner meant to be underneath me?”  They responded by informing Ford, 74, that he landed on a taxiway instead of the runway; that is apparently a violation of FAA safety rules.

The FAA is investigating the incident now.  Ford could be hit with a warning letter, or he could have his pilot’s license suspended, among other possibilities.

Air traffic controllers cleared the pilot of a single-engine Aviat Husky to land on Runway 20L at John Wayne Airport Monday afternoon,” the FAA released in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.  “The pilot correctly read back the clearance. The pilot then landed on a taxiway that runs parallel to the runway, overflying a Boeing 737 that was holding short of the runway.

This isn’t the first airplane incident that Ford has been involved in. In 2015, he was flying a World War II-era plane and the engine gave out.  He crash-landed on a golf course and broke his arm.

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