A plane piloted by Harrison Ford crashed on a Los Angeles area golf course on Thursday afternoon, leaving the actor injured but "ok" according to his son. Ford's involvement in the crash on Penmar Golf Course in Venice was also confirmed by multiple news organizations.
"Harrison was flying a WW2 vintage plane today which had engine trouble upon take off," his publicist said in a statement to The Daily Beast. "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."
TMZ was the first to report the news that Ford was taken to the hospital following the incident. The Los Angeles Fire Department confirmed the plane's solo occupant was transported to a local hospital. Authorities would not identify the person injured in the crash. In a media briefing, a representative for the LAFD said the patient was found in "moderate condition," "conscious," "breathing" and outside the plane when the paramedics arrived on the scene. No other people were injured.
A photo of Ford's plane, which crashed on Penmar Golf Course on Thursday
The LAFD released a statement in a series of tweets:
The single-engine aircraft suffered a medium to high impact on the grass at Penmar Golf Course. Bystanders rendered aid to the conscious and breathing approximate 70 y/o male pilot prior to firefighters arrival. Firefighters provided immediate medical aid to the patient who is now described as suffering fair to moderate injury and being treated at a local hospital.
NBC initially reported Ford sustained serious injuries, including cuts to his head. "There was blood all over his face," a Penmar Golf Course employee told NBC News. An unnamed family member categorized Ford as "fine."
His son Ben Ford also tweeted an update from the hospital:
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, 2015
Thank you all for your thoughts and good vibes for my dad.
— Chef Ben Ford (@ChefBenFord) March 6, 2015
In a briefing later Thursday night, an NTSB official said that the pilot had reported engine power loss, and then clipped a tree before landing on the golf course. He was trying to return to the airport when the engine failed, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said. "We believe he is going to survive at this point," the NTSB official said, still not identifying the pilot.
TMZ posted audio purported to be of Ford communicating with Santa Monica Airport air traffic control shortly after takeoff. (In the clip, the pilot reports engine failure and requests an immediate return to the airport.) Fox 11 Los Angeles obtained footage of the plane on the ground as well:
Ford, 72, has been involved in multiple plane crashes over the years, most notably in 2000 when he made a crash landing in his six-passenger plane in Nebraska. In 1999, a helicopter he was piloting crashed in Santa Clarita, California. He escaped unharmed both times.
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