Harrison Ford Minorly injured in plane crash

 

Harrison Ford was injured Thursday afternoon when his vintage single-engine airplane crashed on a golf course shortly after taking off from Santa Monica Airport.

Ford reported engine failure and requested an immediate return about 2:25 p.m. PT, according to his conversation with air-traffic controllers. He failed to reach the runway, crash-landing instead on the approach to the 8th tee.
"Harrison was flying a WW2 vintage plane today which had engine trouble upon take off. He had no other choice but to make an emergency landing, which he did safely,'' Ford's publicist Ina Treciokas said in an emailed statement.

"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," she said.

There was no fire. The open-cockpit plane was painted with vintage markings and looked as if it could have come from one of the movies in which Ford played adventurer Indiana Jones.
"Dad is ok. Battered, but ok!" Ford's son, Ben, a chef in Los Angeles, tweeted from the hospital. "He is every bit the man you would think he is. He is an incredibly strong man."

Ford was conscious and alert when paramedics arrived, Assistant Fire Chief Patrick Butler said.
Federal NTSB investigators were on the scene investigating the cause of the crash. NTSB investigator Patrick Jones said the plane would be removed from the golf course and taken to another location Friday for further investigation.

"This pilot is an experienced pilot,'' Jones said.

"The pilot reported a loss of engine power and was attempting to return to the runway,'' Jones said. "It appears he clipped the top of a tree and came to rest on the golf course.''

Ford's voice can be heard on an audio recording of his radio transmission to airport control.

"Engine failure . . . immediate return," Ford says to the control tower. The air traffic controller then gives him permission to make an emergency landing on runway 3.

Butler said the pilot suffered "moderate trauma'' and was "alert and conscious'' and breathing when responders arrived. He said responders administered an IV before transporting Ford to the hospital.
The plane crashed at the Penmar Golf Course in the Venice section of Los Angeles, just beyond the western end of the runway of the small Santa Monica airport.