Harrison Ford under investigation after plane blunder
Ford is a keen pilot who has had several previous brushes with trouble. Photo: Getty
Hollywood legend Harrison Ford is in a spot of bother after admitting to being the pilot of plane that wrongly crossed a runway while another aircraft was landing.
Ford was at the controls of a small plane at Hawthorne Airport in the Los Angeles area on Friday when, according to a statement released by his publicist, he crossed the runway after mishearing an instruction from air traffic control.
“He immediately acknowledged the mistake and apologised to ATC for the error,” publicist Ina Treciokas said.
“No one was injured and there was never any danger of a collision.”
Without naming Ford, the Federal Aviation Administration said on Wednesday (local time) that a two-seat Aviat Husky plane crossed the runway while another aircraft was performing a touch-and-go landing.
The other plane was about a kilometre away, according to the FAA.
Ford’s statement said the purpose of his flight was “to maintain currency and proficiency in the aircraft”.
The 77-year-old, who played Han Solo and Indiana Jones, is a frequent flyer of planes and helicopters and generally has a good record as an aviator. But he has had several close calls over the years.
In 2017, he flew low over a plane with 116 people aboard moments before mistakenly landing on a taxiway at another Southern California airport.
After an FAA investigation, the actor avoided sanctions and kept his pilot licence.
“The FAA investigators thought Ford was candid and forthright,” his lawyer, Stephen Hofer, told the Los Angeles Times at the time.
“In closing the matter, the agency acknowledged Mr. Ford’s long history of compliance with the federal aviation regulations and his cooperative attitude during the investigation.”
In 2015, he was injured when he crashed his World War II-era plane on a Los Angeles golf course after engine failure.
Investigators found that Ford was not at fault for the crash.
-with AAP