Indiana Jones injured after hard landing on Cali golf course
 

Harrison Ford plane crash leaves actor seriously injured


Witness reports claim he tried to turn back to the airfield after suffering technical problems on take-off. (Speculation alert)

Harrison Ford force-lands Ryan PT-22 on golf course
 

Various reports on how badly he's banged up, but the most recent ones seem to indicate it's just a few skull lacerations. From the pictures, he seems to have done a good job of putting the thing down in one piece.

Harrison Ford Reported Fair After Plane Crash - NBC News

Report: Harrison Ford Crashes Small Plane Near Santa Monica Airport
 

Harrison Ford in "Fair Condition"

Report: Harrison Ford Crashes Small Plane Near Santa Monica Airp - Los Angeles News | FOX 11 LA KTTV

Yes, this will do wonders for the KSMO haters…. They will have a field day with this in the press. GA PR disaster.

Glad he's OK and he's an experienced pilot who owns and pilots both a Sovereign jet and a Beaver. He's done more than most for GA, with Young Eagles and AOPA. Therefore it's ironic that this might hurt the SMO debate more than if it was just anyone.

Being reported as an EFATO with an attempted turnback - looking at where he put it down and the surroundings, looks like he might have done rather well.

- 34.007769, -118.459558 that small golf course looks like the only piece of grass around, everywhere else is built up.

Looks like his aircraft was a Ryan PT-22. A 1930s vintage trainer.

Piper Driver: I spotted that, too. Given the majority of the engine seems to have been pancaked under the fuselage on impact, I wonder if any meaningful analysis of what remains will be made?

Never nice to hear of an EFATO, but as a very junior pilot-in-training myself, it's strangely heartening that he managed to survive an EFATO at all; fingers crossed for him.

Sounds like the ideal place for an airport!!! :ugh: :} :E

Tricky area for a FL - https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@34.01...!3m1!1e3?hl=en

ATC tape released as well - AirLive.net: UPDATE Listen to ATC audio: Harrison Ford radio to airport: "engine failure, immediate return" - seems to confirm EFATO reports.

Aircraft put down largely in one piece, on what looks like the only bit of grass in the middle of a sprawling congested area, pilot reported to be in 'good condition' in local hospital, nobody else got hurt...

...I'd call that a successful FL.

I'm currently in Santa Monica and will be flying out of SMO for the first time tomorrow. I was driving past the golf course last week and thinking that I would be going for the fairways in the event of EFATO.

As TheInquistitor said, it's the only place for a forced landing. The airport is otherwise completely surrounded by houses and commercial buildings. A bit further out and ditching might be the only option.

This event will be just one more piece of ammunition in the hands of the group that wants to shut down SMO.

Ironically, I saw a PT-22 in the circuit last week. The first one I had ever seen.

Planes exact location
 

There was a CNN report with a news babe reporting and she turned around and showed the houses right next to the planes final location. Based on that I believe the plane ended up right next to this location right opposite 2127 Dewey Street. Looks to be a couple of hundred yards short of the runway

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@34.00...A!2e0?hl=enc=t

He does seem to have done well.

I'd imagine that he's been contingency planning for that golf course for years--I'd assume he flies out of SMO a lot and there really aren't many places to put a plane down near the airport (I recall, although my stint of flying there often was at least 15 years ago)

A golf course is the best place ever to force land, no doubt within seconds there were at least 15 doctors in attendance.

I've done a few hundred takeoffs and landing at SMO. Most engine failures on takeoff from SMO haven't been as successful as this one. I remember a 152 making a perfect striaght-ahead landing on Rose ave back in about 1990 though. Traffic on Rose ave dictates that it's usually not the best choice though.

The Penmar golf course is indeed the best choice available most of the time when departing rwy 21. If you're over the golf course and your engine quits, landing straight ahead is not going to be a good option due to the fact that it's surrounded by houses on 3 sides, is less than 3,000' from end to end and the trees between fairways are up to 100' tall. It would require a very steep descent. Turning back is better if you have the speed and altitude. Even if turning back means you'll have to set it down on the course. If you don't have the altitude and speed to turn around, you'll have to continue straight ahead and take what you can get. It pays to think carefully about these options prior to every takeoff.

Where the plane ended up is about 1,000' SW from the end of the runway and a good 50 to 75' below. The 8th tee is about 500' from the NE end of the course. The hole plays about 140 yards from the back tees towards the NE fence. I'm amazed he managed to end up where he did without hitting the trees more squarely.

This is indeed one of the better outcomes as SMO engine failures go. Most have ended quite badly. In my 20 plus years at SMO, I've witnessed a couple and seen the aftermath of a few more. I don't recall anyone on the ground ever being injured, let alone killed by any of these crashes.

The airport protesters are financed and kept stirred up by the land grabbing developers that want to get their filthy greedy hands on the airport property. Everything they is say towards that end.

westhawk

The story above said there were two docs in attendance. Penmar isn't exactly a country club though. Just a public executive 9 hole. Had in been LA Country Club or Riviera, You're probably right!

westhawk

Apparently he was 'flying solo'. Ha!

tmm,

Why the Ha!

He WAS flying solo, although one of the "rescue doctor/golfers" referred to him as a "passenger in the back seat"!

That was a funny reference to Han Solo, one of his remarkable roles :)

Doctors confused by tandem seating
 

That's because Doctors only fly Beechcraft Bonanzas (aka the Doctor Killer) and think that anyone in a rear seat is pax.....