FAA investigating close call involving Harrison Ford at John Wayne Airport
SANTA ANA (FOX 11 / CNS) - A violation may have been committed at John Wayne Airport when a pilot believed to have been actor Harrison Ford allegedly flew a private plane over a loaded passenger jet before landing on a taxiway instead of a runway.
Federal Aviation Administration officials were investigating the incident, which occurred Monday afternoon, according to Ian Gregor of the FAA.
Air traffic controllers cleared the pilot of the Aviat Husky to land on Runway 20L at John Wayne Airport Monday afternoon, according to Ian Gregor of the FAA.
``The pilot correctly read back the clearance,'' Gregor said. ``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 737 had 110 passengers and a six-person crew aboard, according to NBC News, who first reported the pilot was the 74-year-old actor best known for ``Star Wars'' and the ``Indiana Jones'' film series.
Gregor told the Los Angeles Times that landing on the taxiway, rather than a runway, is a violation of FAA regulations.
In 2015, Ford crashed a World War II-vintage plane on a Venice golf course shortly after taking off from Santa Monica Airport. Federal investigators said the single-engine Ryan Aeronautical ST3KR he was piloting lost engine power then clipped the top of a tree before crashing in an open area of the golf course. Ford was hospitalized for several days for treatment of broken bones.
In 1999, Ford crash-landed a helicopter in Ventura County during a training session, according to the Los Angeles Times. A year later, his six- seat Beechcraft scraped the runway at Lincoln Municipal Airport in Nebraska.
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