Harrison Ford, known for roles in films like Indiana Jones, was piloting a WW2 vintage plane on Thursday that crashed onto a golf course in L.A. He survived the crash and is reportedly in stable condition.
According to a report from People magazine, Ford, who is 72, was the only person on board the plane.
“Harrison was flying a WW2 vintage plane today which had engine trouble upon take off,” a rep for Harrison Ford said in a statement to the media. “He had no other choice but to make an emergency landing, which he did safely. He was banged up and is in the hospital receiving medical care. The injuries sustained are not life threatening, and he is expected to make a full recovery.”
Harrison Ford’s son Ben tweeted about the incident later in the day.
At the hospital. Dad is ok. Battered, but ok! He is every bit the man you would think he is. He is an incredibly strong man.
— Chef Ben Ford (@ChefBenFord) March 6, 2015
Ford reportedly sustained a head injury as a result of the plane crash.
“There were two doctors who had been at the golf course who first attended to Mr. Ford and the Santa Monica Fire Department was the first to arrive,” Santa Monica City Commissioner Phil Brock told People.
Update: Harrison Ford's rep tells Us he got "banged up" but is expected to make a "full recovery" following crash: http://t.co/LU0YsZePVR
— Us Weekly (@usweekly) March 6, 2015
Assistant Chief Patrick Butler of the L.A. Fire Department said during a press conference that Harrison Ford wasn’t in the plane when emergency personnel arrived on scene at the airport.
“The patient was in moderate condition, alert and conscious and breathing and was transported to a local hospital,” Butler said. He noted that the plane had avoided residential areas that closely surround the golf course. “I would say that it is an area that probably presented the least amount of impact to the community,” he said.
Butler added that the FAA and NTSB will investigate the crash.
Harrison Ford was heard by air traffic control reporting his plane emergency.
“Engine failure, requesting immediate return,” he was heard saying prior to the crash.
This isn’t the first plane crash Harrison Ford has experienced. The actor landed his six-passenger plane hard back in 2000, and crash-landed a helicopter on which he was practicing emergency landings back in 1999.
If you were Ford, might you consider staying on the ground?
Lots of people are breathing a sigh of relief since learning that even though Harrison Ford crashed his plane, he survived the crash and is in stable condition. It will certainly be interesting to learn what the investigation into the crash determines.