Harrison Ford, the 72-year-old actor and aviator is still recovering in a hospital because he sustained injuries after his small plane's crash-landing on a golf course in Venice, California. Ford's piloting skills are being praised as heroic and having saved several lives when he flew the plane to a small open space yards away from a densely-populated residential area, after his engine lost power.
Christian Fry, representing the Santa Monica Airport Association, referred to Harrison's piloting as "absolutely, beautifully executed," according to USA Today. Ford was forced to land his airport after being unable to return to that nearby airport.
Ford departed from the Santa Monica Airport, located on Los Angeles' west side, at approximately 2:20 p.m. Soon afterwards he radioed that he was experiencing engine failure, and was thus returning immediately.
A golfing witness of Ford's crash-landing also stated that his piloting "saved several lives." This is because he risked his own safety by landing on the golf course instead of attempting to return to the airport.
According to Fire and Rescue officials after removing Ford from his downed airplane, Ford's injuries were fair to moderate. He sustained cuts on his head, and according to unnamed sources closely linked to Ford's family, underwent surgery on Thursday to repair a broken ankle and pelvis.
Ina Treciokas, publicist of Ford, issued a statement late Thursday that Ford's injuries were "not life-threatening." She also noted that he will likely experience a "full recovery."
This report was confirmed by Dr. Sanjay Khurana, who attended to Ford after the crash. He was golfing when he observed the airplane "drop like a rock," approximately 50 yards ahead of him.
Dr. Khurana described the crash-landing of Ford's yellow 1942 aircraft as "an earthquake kind of sound and feel," according to NY Daily News. Due to a large pool of fuel around the plane's front section, Dr. Khurana chose to help extract Ford from the plane, due to a potential fire.
Ford will return to play the colorful Han Solo in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," set to be released in December, and will likely star in a sequel of the 1982 science-fiction cult classic "Blade Runner."
The final report of the NTSB's (National Transportation Safety Board) investigation of the crash-landing could take one year. According to an NTSB investigator, the agency will examine "everything."