A single-engine craft piloted by Harrison Ford was involved in a close call with a 737 at SNA on Monday. The incident is being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Aviation authorities have confirmed that actor Harrison Ford was involved in a near-miss with a Boeing 737 passenger plane at John Wayne Airport (SNA) earlier this week. The incident occurred on Monday, February 13th at the facility in Orange County, California.
It appears that Harrison, who is understood to have been instructed to land his single-engine craft on a runway at SNA, somehow instead ended up landing his plane on a parallel taxiway at the airport. In the process of landing, Harrison’s small craft flew over a 737 operated by American Airlines, which was waiting to depart from SNA. The BBC reported that the larger craft was carrying 110 passengers and crew at the time of the incident.
The IB Times has revealed that, prior to landing, Harrison queried air traffic control, asking, “Was that airliner meant to be underneath me?”
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that a single-engine craft had been instructed to land on the runway at SNA, but stopped short of confirming that the pilot was indeed Ford.
Speaking to the media, FAA spokesperson Ian Gregor was quoted by the outlet as saying, “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,” he added.
The Los Angeles Times reported that Gregor also explained that landing on a taxiway rather than a runway is a violation of the administration’s regulations.
While the FAA’s investigation is pending, Ford himself has offered no comment on the situation.