This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, make a donation to power our newsroom today.
This archival content was originally written for and published on KPCC.org. Keep in mind that links and images may no longer work — and references may be outdated.
Preliminary report says engine failure forced Harrison Ford's crash landing
The small plane owned by US actor Harrison Ford is seen after crashing at the Penmar Golf Course in Venice, California. "Indiana Jones" actor Harrison Ford was injured March 5, 2015 when his small plane crashed onto a golf course outside Los Angeles, the TMZ celebrity news website reported. The 72-year-old suffered multiple gashes to his head and was left bleeding after the crash of a vintage two-seater plane, it reported, publishing a picture of the downed plane, its nose cone ripped open. An LA Fire Department spokesman, who did not identify Harrison, said the pilot of a single-engine plane was critically injured in the crash. No more details were immediately available. AFP PHOTO / JONATHAN ALCORN (Photo credit should read JONATHAN ALCORN/AFP/Getty Images)
(
JONATHAN ALCORN/AFP/Getty Images
)
Harrison Ford advised an air traffic control tower that his aircraft's engine had failed shortly before he crash landed the vintage plane on a Santa Monica golf course last week, according to a preliminary report released Tuesday by the National Transportation Safety Board.
The NTSB report determined that Ford "advised of an engine failure and requested an immediate return to the airport" soon after taking off from Santa Monica airport in a yellow 1942 Ryan Aeronautical ST3KR on Thursday.
"The pilot initiated a left turn back towards the airport; the airplane subsequently struck the top of a tall tree prior to impacting the ground in an open area of a golf course, about 800 feet southwest of the approach end of runway 3," the report states.
The plane sustained substantial damage to the wings and fuselage and Ford was seriously injured.
An NTSB investigator said Friday that a full inquiry into the crash could take up to a year to complete.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
