Harrison Ford injured in vintage plane crash
PHOTOS have surfaced of Hollywood actor Harrison Ford before and after he was injured in a plane crash minutes after takeoff. WARNING: Graphic
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ACTOR Harrison Ford has been injured when the vintage plane he was flying crash-landed on a Los Angeles golf course.
The TMZ website reports the 72-year-old actor survived the dramatic crash of the two-seater World War II era training aircraft when it suffered a mechanical failure and was forced to make an emergency landing on the tee at the 8th hole at Penmar Golf Club in Venice, Los Angeles.
The actor’s son Ben said his dad was “battered but OK”.
Photos have now emerged of the Hollywood actor before and after he was injured.
WARNING: Some photographs below are graphic and may upset some readers.
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, 2015Thank you all for your thoughts and good vibes for my dad.
— Chef Ben Ford (@ChefBenFord) March 6, 2015A witness told TMZ that Ford had a “huge cut to his head”.
“A swath of his skin was missing. There was blood dripping down his face,” he said.
Ford reported engine failure less than two minutes after taking off in his single-engine Ryan Aeronautical ST3KR and told air traffic controllers he was returning to the airport before crash-landing.
In a communication with the tower at Santa Monica Airport, Ford said he was having engine failure and was making an “immediate return”.
The aircraft clipped trees only metres from houses, and a few hundred metres from the airport runway he was trying to return to, before crashing on to the golf course.
“I’m sure the pilot was glad that there was a golf course here,” said Patrick Jones of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
That is a definitely a plane in front of the 8th green at Penmar in Venice. Pilot allegedly walked away. Wow. pic.twitter.com/2OXYJOdBu1
— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) March 5, 2015Here's another one. Just in front of the green. Pilot was allegedly circling back to Santa Monica after takeoff. pic.twitter.com/yBBta3uhQa
— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) March 5, 2015One more photo. pic.twitter.com/YJLDMhudGH
— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) March 5, 2015TMZ reports the actor sustained gashes to his head while NBC 4 southern California reported that he is also believed to have suffered fractures.
However, a member of Harrison’s family told NBCLA that the actor was “fine” and had suffered a few cuts.
“Harrison was flying a WW2 vintage plane today which stalled upon take off. 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,” Ford’s publicist said in a statement.
Two doctors playing nearby reportedly rushed to the scene and tended the wounds of the famous actor from films such as Star Wars, Blade Runner and Indiana Jones. after he had been pulled from the wreckage by golfers.
An initial assessment by UCLA Hospital reported the actor to be alert and conscious, suffering “moderate” trauma.
Howard Tabe, an employee at the Penmar Golf Course, told NBC News: “There was blood all over his face ... two very fine doctors were treating him, taking good care of him. I helped put a blanket under his hip.”
He added the actor appeared to have been flying solo.
Witness Elaine Miller said the plane appeared to be gliding in without noise and landed right side up. She, along with other bystanders on the golf course, ran up to the scene of the crash to help. Miller found Ford in the back seat.
“He was able to speak. He expressed that he was in pain, which was no surprise,” Miller told ABC Los Angeles.
Los Angeles Fire Department Assistant Chief Patrick Butler said such incidents “generally turn out quite traumatic”.
“But I can report that the patient left the scene conscious and breathing,” he added.
#HarrisonFord: fair to moderate when transported, conscious & breathing; #FAA on scene coordinating w/ #NTSB pic.twitter.com/FcTkcw0J1X
— Julie Sone (@ABC7JulieSone) March 6, 2015
The Los Angeles police department confirmed details of the crash, but not the pilot’s identity.
“We can confirm that there was a plane crash and the male occupant was a 65-70-year-old man,” police spokeswoman Nuria Vanegas said in a statement.
“He was transported to a local hospital in stable condition. The incident was reported at 2:25pm, it was mechanical failure of plane, that’s what caused the accident.”
Ford recently told US ABC’s Barbara Walters that he “loved the freedom of flight”.
“I love the places you go,” he said. “I love the people in aviation, the people that I meet in aviation. I love seeing the world from an aeroplane. I’m in love with flying.”
The actor in June last year broke his leg while filming on the set of Star Wars Episode VII.
Ford is a private pilot of both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters
He has personally provided emergency helicopter services at the behest of local authorities, in one instance rescuing a hiker overcome by dehydration.
Ford was involved in the crash of a helicopter on October 23, 1999.
An air safety accident report states that Ford was flying over Lake Piruriverbed near Santa Clarita, California, on a training flight.
While making his second attempt at practising an emergency procedure, the helicopter dropped to 150—200 feet. The helicopter was unable to recover and hit the ground.
Both Ford and the instructor pilot escaped uninjured.
Asked about the incident in an interview on the TV show Inside the Actor’s Studio, Ford replied, “I broke it.”
Originally published as Harrison Ford injured in vintage plane crash