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‘Schmuck’ Harrison Ford Says He ‘Got Distracted’ During His Plane Incident

Photo: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

In February, Harrison Ford was involved in a “potentially serious” airplane incident that might get his pilot’s license suspended: While piloting his private plane at an Orange County, California, airport, Ford mistakenly landed on a taxiway instead of a runway, one that was dangerously close to a full passenger plane about to take off. “Was that airliner meant to be underneath me?” Ford told air-traffic control at the time, but now, some newly released audio recordings are shedding light on why he was distracted while landing the plane. “I’m the schmuck who landed on the taxiway,” he explained to the air-traffic control tower upon landing, according to THR. “Oh. I landed on Taxiway Charlie. I understand now. Sorry for that.” Specifically, Ford “got distracted by the airliner” partially because of “big turbulence” from another airplane that was landing; and when an air-traffic controller remarked that his transgression wasn’t a big deal and to get his pilot’s license to proceed further, Ford responded, “it’s a big deal for me.” As a result of the incident, a thorough Federal Aviation Administration investigation is currently underway.

Ford has been an experienced pilot and general aviation enthusiast for decades, but has unfortunately gotten himself into a handful of high-profile plane incidents. Most recently, in 2015, he crash-landed one of his vintage planes on a Santa Monica golf course after its engine failed.

Harrison Ford ‘Got Distracted’ During His Plane Incident