Harrison Ford Under FAA Investigation After Incident With Plane: Report
Actor Harrison Ford has reportedly been involved in yet another incident with a personal aircraft, this time allegedly flying his plane over a full passenger plane on a California runway, in violation of Federal Aviation Administration rules. No one was hurt.
A report from NBC News says the incident occurred on Monday night at the John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California when Ford, who was piloting a single engine Husky, reportedly misunderstood instructions from an air traffic control tower. According to NBC, Ford was told to land his private plane on a runway, but instead aimed for a taxiway, passing directly over an American Airlines 737 loaded with 110 passengers and a six-person crew. That plane was unharmed, and was able to depart safely a few minutes later.
NBC reports that FAA officials confirmed that "controllers gave Ford the proper landing instructions and ... he read them back." But after his improper landing, Ford could be heard on air traffic control recordings asking, "Was that airliner meant to be underneath me?"
According to NBC, "Landing on a taxiway is a violation of Federal Aviation Administration safety rules" and Ford is now under investigation with the FAA, with punishment that "could result in anything from a simple warning letter to a suspension of Ford's pilot's license."
In a statement released to The Hollywood Reporter, the FAA declined to identify Ford directly (a longstanding policy of the agency when conducting such investigations), but confirmed that the described incident did indeed take place. A rep for Ford has not responded to requests for comment from either NBC or THR.
Ford, a respected pilot with decades of experience, has had a handful of incidents while piloting aircraft in recent years, including in 2015, when he crash-landed a vintage WWII-era plane on a golf course in California after its engine failed. The actor sustained minor head injuries and a broken arm in that crash, but later made a full recovery. No one else was injured.
[via: NBC News, The Hollywood Reporter]