Harrison Ford was injured in a plane crash Thursday afternoon and has reportedly had surgery. His son, Ben Ford, assured the actor’s fans that his is “ok.”
The crash occurred around 2:30 p.m., with Ford landing his small plane at a Venice, California golf course. The 72-year-old aviation enthusiast was flying a vintage World War II plane, according to his publicist, Ina Treciokas.
“He had no other choice but to make an emergency landing, which he did safely,” Treciokas said in a statement to KTLA. “He was banged up and is in the hospital receiving medical care. The injuries sustained are not life threatening, and he is expected to make a full recovery.”
A source close to the Star Wars star’s family said that he is undergoing surgery for broken bones. “He’s fine, has a few gashes,” the source said.
Christian Fry, vice president of the Santa Monica Airport Association, told People that he would not consider the incident a crash. Instead, he called it a “beautifully forced landing.”
“It appears that they had some sort of engine trouble during takeoff, which happens from time to time with airplane, but when that occurs, the beauty of Santa Monica Airport is we have the golf course, which runs parallel to our main runway,” Fry explained.
Ford has been involved in crashes before. In 2000, he piloted a six-passenger plane and took a hard landing. In 1999, he crash-landed a helicopter while practicing.
Ford’s son, Ben, shared an update on Twitter, thanking fans for their thoughts.
image courtesy of Peter West/ACE/INFphoto.com