Actor Harrison Ford is under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration after landing his private plane on a taxiway at John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California, on Monday, instead of on the runway as instructed. Ford's mix-up caused him to fly right over an American Airlines passenger plane that NBC News reported was "loaded with 110 passengers and a six-person crew." The plane, headed for Dallas, safely departed the airport minutes after the close call.
Ford can be heard asking on air traffic control recordings, "Was that airliner meant to be underneath me?" At this point, air traffic controllers informed the 74-year-old actor that he had landed on the taxiway, which is a violation of FAA safety rules.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
But Ford has had his good moments as a pilot, too. NBC noted he's even been inducted as a Living Legend of Aviation.
Depending on what the FAA investigation concludes, Ford could receive a warning letter, or his license could be suspended.
-
The diminishing power of willpowerIn the Spotlight ‘Try harder’ attitude may not be the best way to achieve long-term goals
-
Greenland, Colombia, Cuba: where is Donald Trump eyeing up next?Today's Big Question Ousting Venezuela’s leader could embolden the US administration to exert its dominance elsewhere
-
Wilde Cambridge: home-away-from-home in a prime city spotThe Week Recommends This laid-back aparthotel is the perfect base for a weekend of exploring
-
Son arrested over killing of Rob and Michele ReinerSpeed Read Nick, the 32-year-old son of Hollywood director Rob Reiner, has been booked for the murder of his parents
-
Rob Reiner, wife dead in ‘apparent homicide’speed read The Reiners, found in their Los Angeles home, ‘had injuries consistent with being stabbed’
-
Hungary’s Krasznahorkai wins Nobel for literatureSpeed Read László Krasznahorkai is the author of acclaimed novels like ‘The Melancholy of Resistance’ and ‘Satantango’
-
Primatologist Jane Goodall dies at 91Speed Read She rose to fame following her groundbreaking field research with chimpanzees
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
