By Torleif Sorenson on 3/5/15

The famous actor Harrison Ford, age 72, sustained some injuries on Thursday afternoon when he crash-landed a World War II-era airplane on Penmar Golf Course, which lies just west of Runway 03 at Santa Monica Municipal Airport (KSMO) in the Los Angeles metropolitan area.

Ford, who has flown both fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft since the 1960s, was reportedly flying a Ryan PT-22 Recruit, a single-engine propeller aircraft dating to about 1942. During that era, the PT-22 was used for training and today remains popular among sport and general aviation pilots. At about 2:20 p.m,. PST on Thursday, Ford contacted the Santa Monica control tower shortly after takeoff, reporting engine failure. The control tower immediately cleared Ford for an emergency landing on Runway 3, but the PT-22 came down short of the runway, along the 7th hole at Penmar.

The welcome news about Ford's condition comes from his son, Ben:

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

By coincidence, Ford's mishap occurred just a few hours after a Delta Air Lines MD-88 skidded off Runway 13 at LaGuardia Airport in Queens, New York. That incident occurred during a snowstorm with very poor visibility.


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