Harrison Ford is back in the cockpit again just days after he almost crashed his single-engine plane into a Boeing 737 full of passengers.
The 74-year-old actor, who looked well dressed in dark jeans, sunglasses, a blazer and shirt, was spotted boarding a green Cessna Citation Sovereign 680 at Santa Monica Airport with his copilot before the pair jetted off together, on Thursday morning.
Just three days earlier, Ford was involved in a near miss with an American Airlines jet when he mistakenly landed on the taxiway at John Wayne Airport in Orange County. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told TMZ they will investigate but the probe has been put on hold due to a case backlog, leaving him free to fly for the foreseeable future.
A witness who saw the Star Wars actor's harrowing miss at John Wayne on Monday claimed that Ford had 'completely misjudged the runway'.
The man told the gossip site he was looking out of the windows at the terminal, while waiting for a friend, when he saw Ford's single-engine Husky plane coming in to land.
He described the plane as looking totally out of position and like it was about to crash after Ford 'completely misjudged the runway'.
Moments before the plane hit the ground, Ford 'banked really sharp' and 'hit hard' on the adjacent taxiway, according to the witness who also snapped a photo of the landing.
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Harrison Ford, 74, is back in the cockpit of his Cessna Citation Sovereign 680, just two days after his near miss with a Boeing 737 passenger plane when he 'completely misjudged the runway '
The actor was seen boarding another private plane just days after nearly colliding with an American Airlines jet during a landing at John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California
The 74-year-old actor, who sported dark jeans, a blazer and shirt, flew out of the Santa Monica Airport at around 10am this morning
Despite his harrowing near miss, the Star Wars actor looked calm and collected before he boarded the green private jet on Thursday
Ford was seen boarding the Cessna Citation 680 with his unnamed copilot before taking a seat in the cockpit
The claims, which seems to infer that the Indiana Jones star had initially been aiming for the runway, differs from earlier reports which stated that the 74-year-old had simply mistaken the taxiway for the parallel runway. The runway is marked by a huge '20-L' in white paint at one end.
Ford's mistake saw his plane just pass over the American Airlines 737, carrying more than 100 passengers, which was waiting to use nearby 20-R.
'Was that airliner meant to be underneath me?' he asked Air Control.
The FAA say that controllers had given Ford clear instructions to land on the runway, as landing on a taxiway is a safety violation. They say the actor read the instructions back yet still somehow ended up aiming for the taxiway.
The weather conditions were a little cloudy but the runway was visible to Ford, TMZ said. The actor - who will next appear in the sci-fi sequel Blade Runner 2049 this year - passed a pilot's medical exam last month. Flight 1546 was still able to take off for Dallas just minutes after the incident,NBC News reports.
Ford (right) who played space pilot Han Solo in the popular sci-fi franchise Star Wars, looked ready for take-off in the cockpit of the plane
The actor was 52 when he started taking flying lessons and over the years the Indiana Jones star has amassed an impressive aviation collection
On Thursday, three days after witnesses say they saw Ford 'misjudge the runway' at John Wayne Airport he is flying again
The Cessna Citation Sovereign, model 680, is an American mid-size business jet able to carry up to 12 passengers and perform intercontinental flights
The aircraft jetted off from Santa Monica Airport, California - the same airport Ford flew from when he had a serious crash in 2015 that left him with a broken arm and head injuries
Ford, who has been heralded as a talented pilot by several aviation experts despite his near miss and history of crashes, jetted off in the new aircraft on Thursday
The FAA have launched an investigation into Ford's near miss which could result in a written reprimand or even the actor losing his licence
The FAA told TMZ that the investigation into the Star Wars actor's near-miss has been put on hold, leaving his fate in the wind for the foreseeable future.
They said they had a considerable backlog of cases and it could be weeks before they are able to process Ford, who was in a serious plane crash in 2015 but has been described by several airports as an excellent pilot.
Since the case does not pose an 'immediate danger,' it has been put on a backburner. However, the fallout from that investigation when it is concluded could result in anything from a warning letter to Ford losing his licence.
Ford's reps had no official comment on the incident.
The Hollywood legend was spotted in public for the first time yesterday, driving his Tesla Model S to Santa Monica Airport, California, on Wednesday.
Ford, a vintage plane collector, has been involved in a number of crashes over the years.
Most famously, in 2015 he crash-landed a World War II-era airplane after the engine failed. The aircraft plummeted into a Santa Monica golf course during the crash in which Ford suffered head injuries and a broken arm.
But Ford was actually praised for keeping his cool and managing to glide his airplane into the crash landing.
Moments before the crash, in audio of his conversation with air traffic control, an unemotional Ford was heard asking for an emergency landing because his engine had failed.
He said he was not going to be able to make the runaway at Santa Monica Airport so he picked a long green at the nearby Penmar golf course to land out of the way of the congested neighborhood.
After plunging 3,000ft and hitting a tree on the way down, Ford was rushed from the scene bleeding heavily from a head wound.
Harrison Ford 'completely misjudged the runway' according to a witness at the airport who saw the actor's harrowing near miss with a Boeing 737. Pictured is Ford landing 'hard' on the taxiway - taken by witness from the airport terminal window
Ford (pictured inside his Husk before take off from Santa Monica airport on Monday) has been described as a careful pilot by several airports. He passed a pilot's medical examination last month
Ford (pictured flying over Santa Monica Monday before the incident) 'completely misjudged the runway' according to a witness at the airport who saw the actor's harrowing near miss with a Boeing 737
Ford is seen here on Monday inspecting his Husky Aviat A-1C - before take off. Shortly after, he had a frightening brush with death as he nearly landed on top of the stationary jumbo jet after mistaking a taxiway for the runway he was told to land on
Ford mistakenly aimed for the unmarked taxiway instead of runway 20-L, just passing over an American Airlines 737 loaded with more than 100 passengers. The 737 was waiting to use runway 20-R on the other side of 20-L
Ford's publicist Ina Treciokas said the actor had no other choice but to make an emergency landing.
'Harrison's been a great pilot. You can see by the fact that he survived this forced landing that he is a skilled aviator,' Paul Mitton, who produced a documentary about Ford's love of flying, told CNN.
Aviation expert Rick Dake told People that Ford's landing was amazing considering the unforgiving nature of the World War II-era plane.
'Everything he did was perfect,' Dake, of Aviation Consulting Experts, told People.
He says less-experienced pilots training on the plane during World War II would often crash because the plane tended to flip when the engine fails.
'That alone is testament to the great ability Harrison Ford had. He made a 180-degree turn with the engine seizing up on him. He almost made it to the runway,' Dake said.
'He was able to keep that plane away from the houses and land it with the least impact on the community. That was the best place he could have landed it. He was 100 per cent doing exactly what an excellent aviator would do.'
He also crash-landed a helicopter in 1999 and was forced to perform an emergency landing the following year in a Beechcraft Bonanza at Nebraska's Lincoln Municipal Airport.
The accident-prone actor has also injured himself on the ground too. While filming 'Star Wars: Episode VII', the door of Solo's Millennium Falcon spacecraft fell and broke the actor's leg.
Actor and producer Harrison Ford was spotted in his Tesla Model S on Wednesday - the first time he has been seen since in public since he nearly flew his single-engine plane into a Boeing 737 at Santa Monica Airport in California on Monday
Ford (pictured at Santa Monica airport Sunday) just missed the passenger jet after he accidentally landed on the taxiway
Monday's near miss comes two years after he crashed his plane into a golf course, breaking his arm. Pictured on the left at a film premiere in October 2013, and with wife Calista Flockhart at the 2014 Academy Awards on the right
He discovered a passion for flying somewhat late in life but Ford embraced it with gusto and flew his collection of planes as much as he drove his collection of vintage cars.
The actor was 52 when he started taking flying lessons and over the years the Indiana Jones star has amassed an impressive aviation collection.
He keeps the aircraft at the Santa Monica Airport which is where he was where he had taken off from in his two-seater PT- 22 shortly before he crashed on a nearby Venice golf course in 2015.
Now 74, Ford would be too old to fly a commercial aircraft who have a mandatory retirement age of 65.
However, the FAA have no age limit on private pilots. The only additional requirement is that pilots above the age of 40 must pass medical exams every two years instead of every five.
In an interview with The Mail On Sunday back in 2010, the Blade Runner and Star Wars actor talked about some of the planes in his collection and the reasons he loves flying so much.
'Flying is like good music: it elevates the spirit and it's an exhilarating freedom.' he said. 'It's not a thrill thing or an adrenaline rush; it's engaging in a process that takes focus and commitment.
Ford has a long range jet, a Citation Sovereign, a turboprop aircraft capable of operating on unimproved airstrips; and a de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver single engine bush plane.
He also has a 1929 Waco Taperwing open-top biplane, an Aviat Husky, which is a two-seat fabric-covered bush plane, and a Bell 407 helicopter.
In 1999, Ford was flying his helicopter along the Lake Piru riverbed, north-east of Los Angeles, when it went down in a hard landing during a training session.
Neither the actor nor his instructor were hurt although the helicopter was severely damaged.
He later said the incident gave him the opportunity to buy a new helicopter.
He once described crashing a plane as being like scraping a bumper and said he used his planes as much he used his cars.
'I'm so passionate about flying, I often fly up the coast for a cheeseburger,' he said in 2010.
The Hollywood star often flies to and from his ranch in Wyoming and has used his helicopter there to aid Search and Rescue crews locate missing hikers.
With his need for speed, Ford collects vintage cars and motorbikes,
He has about a dozen motorcycles including several BMWs, a couple of Harleys, Hondas and a Triumph.
He has vintage cars too including a rare 1955 forest green convertible Jaguar XK 140 worth about $150,000.
Ford is married to actress Calista Flockhart and they have a teenage son Liam.
HARRISON'S BRAVADO EQUALS THAT OF HAN SOLO AND INDIANA JONES
Harrison Ford is as much the daredevil in real life as Han Solo, Indiana Jones or the other larger-than-life characters he's played on the screen.
While his fictional adventures in 'Star Wars' and as bold archaeologist Jones have thrilled audiences, the star has run into real-life danger - and sometimes pain - while indulging in his love of aviation, fast driving and the unpredictability of filmmaking.
On Thursday, the actor's vintage plane crash-landed on a golf course in Los Angeles shortly after taking off from a nearby airport. Ford, 74, who had reported engine failure to air-traffic controllers, suffered moderate injuries and was taken by ambulance to a hospital.
Beyond joy-riding in the skies, Ford also employs his skills as a pilot, acquired in his mid-50s, to help in search-and-rescue efforts.
Harrison Ford is as much the daredevil in real life as Han Solo (pictured) Indiana Jones or the other larger-than-life characters he's played on the screen
Here are a few of his closer brushes, some more dramatic than others, as well as heroic moments:
- The scar on his face that lends him a rakish look was earned, he's said, in 'a mundane way.' In 1964, he was speeding to a job at a department store in Orange County, California, when his car veered off the road and into a telephone pole as he fumbled for his seat belt.
- In 1999, Ford crash-landed his helicopter during a training flight in which he and an instructor were practicing auto rotations in Ventura County, northwest of Los Angeles. Ford and the instructor were unhurt.
- He used his helicopter in 2000 to pluck an Idaho Falls, Idaho, hiker off 11,106-foot Table Mountain in Teton County, Wyoming, and fly her to a hospital.
- One year later, Ford and another searcher helped find a missing Boy Scout in a forest south of Yellowstone National Park. 'Boy, you sure must have earned a merit badge for this one,' said Ford told the cold and hungry teenager after whisking him to safety by chopper.
- Ford was at the helm of a Beechcraft Bonanza in 2000 when wind shear forced him to make an emergency landing at Lincoln Municipal Airport in Nebraska. Ford and his passenger were uninjured when the plane clipped the runway and its wing tips were damaged, officials said.
- In 2014, he was filming 'Star Wars: Episode VII' in a studio outside London when a door of Solo's Millennium Falcon spacecraft fell and broke the actor's leg, requiring surgery on it. He recovered and returned to complete his work on the movie.
- In 2015, he suffered his most serious crash at the helm of the Ryan PT-22 Recruit vintage plane which he managed to crash land on a Santa Monica golf course.
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