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Harrison Ford’s close call with passenger plane prompts FAA investigation

Posted at 6:25 PM, Feb 14, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-14 18:25:27-05

SANTA ANA, Calif. – Actor Harrison Ford flew over the top of a commercial airplane while landing his private aircraft after being instructed to use another location at John Wayne Airport on Monday, a source confirmed to KTLA.

Actor Harrison Ford speaks onstage during American Film Institute’s 44th Life Achievement Award Gala Tribute to John Williams at Dolby Theatre on June 9, 2016. (Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images )

Actor Harrison Ford speaks onstage during American Film Institute’s 44th Life Achievement Award Gala Tribute to John Williams at Dolby Theatre on June 9, 2016. (Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images )

The incident at the Santa Ana airport was first reported by NBC News and the source confirmed the information is accurate.

The mixup could result in the actor losing his pilot license, the news agency reported. 

Air traffic controllers cleared Ford, who was piloting a single-engine Aviat Husky, to land on runway 20-L at the airport and Ford correctly read back the clearance, the source said.

Ford then landed on a taxiway that runs parallel to the runway and flew over a Boeing 737.

NBC News reported that the American Airlines plane had 110 passengers and a six-person crew. The plane was able to safely take off to Dallas shortly after the incident, according to NBC News.

An air traffic control recording captured Ford asking “Was that airliner meant to be underneath me?” NBC reported, and air traffic controllers told the actor that he had landed on the taxiway.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident. The mishap could result in anything from a simple warning to suspension of Ford’s pilot license, the news agency reported.

Los Angeles firefighters are seen near a plane that was piloted by Harrison Ford when it crashed at a golf course in Venice on Thursday, March 6, 2015. (Credit: KTLA)

Los Angeles firefighters are seen near a plane that was piloted by Harrison Ford when it crashed at a golf course in Venice on Thursday, March 6, 2015. (Credit: KTLA)

Ford, 74, has been involved in several crashes, including one in Venice on March 2015.

He was piloting a small World War II era-plane when he crashed at a city golf course in Venice.

He underwent surgery after the incident and eventually recovered.

The actor crash-landed a helicopter in Ventura County during a lesson in 1999, NBC News reported.

One year later, Ford’s six-seater Beechcraft Bonanza scraped the runway during an emergency landing at Lincoln Municipal Airport in Nebraska.

KTLA’s Jennifer Thang contributed to this story.