FAA Investigating Harrison Ford For Reportedly Landing On Taxiway Instead Of Runway
SANTA ANA (CBSLA.com) — A plane belonging to Harrison Ford was involved in an incident at John Wayne Airport, sources told CBS2/KCAL9 Tuesday.
The incident occurred Monday afternoon when air traffic controllers cleared a single-engine plane for landing at the Santa Ana airport, according to FAA spokesman Ian Gregor.
After correctly reading back the clearance, the pilot landed on a taxiway that runs parallel to the runway, overflying a Boeing 737 that was holding short of the runway, Gregor said. Visibility was clear at the time of the landing.
An FAA investigation is underway.
"How could an experienced pilot do something like this?" former commercial airline pilot Ross Aimer wonders.
Sources told CBS2/KCAL9 the tail number of the plane was registered to Ford and that he was flying the aircraft at the time of the incident. The 74-year-old actor's publicist declined to release a statement.
American Airlines said they were aware of the incident and reported it to the FAA and NTSB "for further investigation".
Ford was reportedly heard on air traffic control saying: "Was that airliner supposed to be underneath me?"
"This is a violation of pretty high degree to land on a taxiway," Aimer said. "Not only that, but to land perhaps on top of a commercial airliner."
Aimer added that this could cost Ford his pilot's license if he is found to be in violation.
It wouldn't be the first aviation-related incident involving Ford: in 2015, Ford crashed a World War II-vintage plane on a Venice golf course shortly after taking off from Santa Monica Airport.
The single-engine Ryan Aeronautical ST3KR Ford was piloting lost engine power before it clipped the top of a tree and crashed in an open area of the golf course, according to federal investigators.
Ford was hospitalized for several days for treatment of broken bones.
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