Harrison Ford’s brush with death at John Wayne airport on February 14, 2017 in Orange County, CA is not his first flying mishap. Less than two years ago, the #Star Wars legend took off from Santa Monica Airport, in his WW2 vintage plane, that stalled upon takeoff. Witness reports at that time talked about the plane’s nosedive onto a nearby golf course. Ford was injured, but quickly recovered to fly again soon after.
The actor is no stranger to harrowing air escapades, as he has proven in movies such as 1997’s hit "Air Force One." In that film, Ford plays United States President Marshall who saves his family and staff from hijackers that seize the president’s ride.
And, lest we forget, he did make the #Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs.
What happened?
Sources say that Ford mistakenly landed on an American Airlines taxiway, as it was prepped for takeoff. A Federal Aviation Administration investigation is underway, but aviation experts are stating that this is a very serious matter, which could have ended in disaster. The legendary actor and air enthusiast could face disciplinary action that may result in anything from a simple warning letter to a suspension of his pilot's license.
Flying ace
Ford is an experienced flyer who collects vintage planes, and has been flying for decades. He takes up hangar space at Santa Monica Airport for some of his ancient aeronautical wonders.
At the time of his 2015 crash, the NTSB report logged him at 5,200 flight hours.
This time, Ford was flying an Aviat Husky. No damage was reported on either side, with the Boeing 737 taking off shortly thereafter to Dallas. So far, there is no comment from the Ford camp. Unfortunately, unlike our President, Ford does not appear to have a Twitter account to keep us all informed.
Rumor is that Ford’s comment to air traffic control was, “Was that airliner meant to be underneath me?” It seems that, even in real life, Harrison Ford certainly has a bit of a daredevil in him, not unlike his "Star Wars" counterpart, Han Solo.
