F.A.A. Says Harrison Ford Can Continue Flying (After April Accident)

Many know Harrison Ford as the intergalactic flyboy Han Solo, and imaging another person playing the role is practically impossible. Especially knowing the fact that Ford has been a private pilot for more than 40 years now. However, even the best make mistakes, and after the actor went through remedial training, the F.A.A. said it had closed its investigation into a runway error he was involved in April 2020.

The April Accident

The actor representatives said that on April 24th, he had “crossed the airport’s only runway in his aircraft after he misheard a radio instruction from the control tower. Harrison Ford immediately acknowledged his mistake and apologized for the error.

The F.A.A. said it closed the case after the actor completed a remedial runway incursion training course. Under the agency rules, Harrison Ford was allowed to keep piloting during the investigation; he did fly his son from California to Massachusetts in August for his return to college.

Harrison Ford Has Never Been Shy About Admitting to Errors

In February 2017, Ford landed on a taxiway rather than the runway at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana. He was coming within 100 feet of a commercial airliner, and he immediately radioed the tower at the airport and acknowledged he was responsible. He was also cleared to fly by the agency in that episode after he was required to complete an “awareness training” course.

It’s NOT a Celebrity Compromise

Isabel Goyer, editor of Plane & Pilot wrote that some are going to act outraged that a movie star got special treatment, but she firmly believes that this wasn’t the case. The editor also pointed out that in 2015, Harrison Ford showed great skill when a small plane he was piloting experienced engine failure, forcing the actor to make an emergency landing on a California golf course. The real-life hero had his pelvis and ankle broken in the crash, but he saved all the other passengers from injuries.