Harrison Ford retains pilot's license after OC airport incident
LOS ANGELES, California -- Harrison Ford won't be fined or have his pilot's license revoked after a February close call incident with a 737 jet that resulted in Ford landing on a busy taxiway at John Wayne Airport in Orange County.
A representative for the "Star Wars" actor said the Federal Aviation Administration has closed its inquiry into Ford's landing at the Santa Ana airport, noting that the FAA had conducted a "full investigation into the matter" and had interviewed Ford.
According to the representative, the FAA "determined that no administrative or enforcement action was warranted." Ford has retained his pilot's certificate "without restriction," the representative said.
The FAA investigation was prompted after an American Airlines pilot alleged he was told by an air traffic controller that Ford's single-engine Aviat Husky aircraft came within 100 feet of his 737 passenger jet before landing on the taxiway.
Audio tapes released by the FAA after the Feb. 13 incident features ford asking controllers at John Wayne Airport, "Was that airliner meant to be beneath me?" before making a phone call to the tower after landing and declaring, "I'm the schmuck who landed on the taxiway."
In the audio recordings, Ford tells controllers he was distracted by the American Airlines 737 that he flew over and the wake turbulence from a landing Airbus.
The FAA has declined to make any comment about the specific incident involving Ford but has confirmed that the investigation into the incident is complete.
