Video footage has emerged of Harrison Ford’s yellow single-engine plane coming within metres of a 737 passenger airliner at an airport in California.
On Feb. 13, the 74-year-old actor was landing at John Wayne Airport in Orange County when he mistakenly landed on a taxiway instead of a runway.
The Star Wars actor’s plane flew above an American Airlines 737 that was carrying 110 passengers and a six-person crew.
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“Was that airliner meant to be underneath me?” Ford asked air traffic control. He was informed that he had landed on a taxiway, not the runway.
In the video footage above, it’s clear just how close the two aircraft actually were.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, Ford was given the proper landing instructions and read them back. As a result of the serious mishap, the FAA has launched an investigation.
In audio released last week, the Indiana Jones actor was heard making mistakes during radio communication with air traffic control in the moments leading up to his narrow escape.
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Ford fumbled his words and told them that he was flying a helicopter rather than his single-engine plane.
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The FAA gave the following statement to Variety: “Air traffic controllers cleared the pilot of a single-engine Aviat Husky to land on Runway 20L at John Wayne Airport Monday afternoon. The pilot correctly read back the clearance. The pilot then landed on a taxiway that runs parallel to the runway, overflying a Boeing 737 that was holding short of the runway. The FAA is investigating this incident.”
Ford could receive a simple warning letter or a suspension of his licence as a result of the investigation.
The Blade runner actor was seen boarding a plane at the Santa Monica Airport on Feb. 16, just days after the incident. He was joined by a co-pilot, and Ford took the captain’s seat of the Cessna 680 two-engine jet.
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This is not the first aviation incident involving Ford. Back in March 2015, the Cowboys & Aliens actor was injured when his World War II plane crashed on a Santa Monica golf course.
A witness told NBC News at the time that Ford had “saved several lives” by rerouting his plane away from a tract of suburban homes before he hit Penmar Golf Course.
In 2000, Ford’s six-seater Beechcraft Bonanza scraped the runway during an emergency landing at Nebraska’s Lincoln Municipal Airport. He also crash-landed a helicopter in 1999 during a flight lesson in Ventura Country, Calif.
The actor has been flying planes for almost 50 years and is known for collecting vintage aircraft.
With files from Jordan Appugliesi
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