LOS ANGELES, Feb 15: Hollywood star Harrison Ford is being investigated by FAA after he was involved in a potentially serious incident in California as he was piloting his private plane.
The 74-year-old “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” actor flew his single-engine Aviat Husky jet over a Boeing 737 passenger plane.
Ford had been instructed to land on runway 20-L at John Wayne Airport in Orange County, but he mistakenly aimed for a taxiway, instead.
According to NBC News, his plane passed over the top of an American Airlines 737 carrying 110 passengers and a six-person crew.
During the incident, Ford was heard on air traffic control recordings asking, “Was that airliner meant to be underneath me?”
Air traffic controllers told the actor that he had landed on a taxiway rather than the runway – a violation of Federal Aviation Administration safety rules.
According to the FAA, controllers gave him the proper landing instructions and that he read them back.
No one was hurt in the incident. The passenger plane, AA flight 1546, managed to depart safely for Dallas just minutes after the incident.
A representative for Ford hasn’t responded to a request for comment. He could receive a simple warning letter to a suspension of his pilot’s license following the incident.
Ford has had decades of flying experience, but has also had a series of crashes and close calls.
Most recently, in March 2015, he made an emergency landing in a World War II-era airplane on a Santa Monica golf course after its engine failed.
Ford suffered a broken arm and minor head injuries, but has since made a full recovery. (PTI)
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