Harrison Ford Pilot Error
- Thread starter Kilgore Trout
- Start date
What happened was extremely dangerous. People run red lights all the time and don't get involved in accidents. Doesn't mean its safe.
It's time for him to give it up. For most people, your skills dramatically decline after 60. The fact he made it to 74 is a miracle.
I kinda have to agree. Obviously it will be investigated but, things like that happen all the time. Had the jet that was holding short of the runway moved into his path, it would've been easy for him to pull up and abort the landing.
As for him not being fit or too old to pilot an aircraft, I disagree. He's an experienced pilot with over 5000 hours.
He had 4 accidents in his pilot carreer. Clearly the force is not with him.
Not exactly...
His previous crash in 2015 was due to engine failure, not his fault. There was another incident in 2000 where a gust of wind blew his plane off the runway while landing. Minor damage to the plane and no injuries. Anyone who's flown a plane knows wind gusts can be unpredictable and steer you off course.
There was one other incident in 1999 during a training flight in a helicopter. It was a hard landing while practicing autorotations to a power recovery in a dry riverbed. Helicopter was damaged but no injuries.
I don't understand why you don't think this is dangerous.
He was cleared to land on runway 20 Left, but he landed on a parallel taxiway instead. Yes he has over 5,000 hours, but the fact is he's flying into an international airport and can't tell the difference between a runway and a taxiway means he is past his prime.
20 Right is 5700 ft long and 150 ft wide
20 Left is 2687 ft long and 75 ft wide
The taxiway to the left (Charlie) is even thinner than 75 ft.
He MISSED seeing a runway double the length and width of his authorized runway and thought 20 Left was 20 Right in broad daylight.
The runways are also clearly painted with a 20 R or 20 L on the end (19L nd 19R in old pics because of magnetic north shift over the years), have flare marks and centerline markings that distinguish it from a taxiway.
https://www.google.ca/search?q=john...e+airport+20+r+approach&imgrc=AejxvsOHOC8K_M:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_...Airport,_Orange_County,_California_(2014).jpg
If that weren't enough, there was a Boeing 737 aircraft lined up on 20R ready for takeoff. That should have been a huge clue that the next strip of runway to the LEFT, was 20 Left.
Even small airports have a separate ground and air frequency. He would have had no idea what aircraft movements the ground controller would have been making because Ford would have been on the air frequency. The ground controller could have been moving several aircraft on or back and forth on the taxiway. The ground controller does not deal with any aircraft whose wheels are not on the ground.
As I stated earlier, after 60 skills dramatically decline for most people. The smart pilots set an end date to stop.
Just like how we hope you aren't employed in a position that has influence over/in people's lives.
John Denver died flying his ultra-light plane (you don't need a landing strip for those, and I believe he crashed from mechanical failure or a gust of wind).
Projecting much? You're a racist tyrant. Fortunately you have no power in the world.
Jack Lawrence was 75 when he crashed his plane.
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2009/08/05/jack_lawrence_75_bay_street_legend_dies_at_throttle.html
People screw up all the time, regardless of age. An ordinary person may get enforcement action and possible temporary certificate suspension for making such a mistake. But of course, since we're talking about a celebrity, the peanut gallery figures that he did it on purpose and now he has to hang. The public knows squat, of course. They think every puddle-jumper pilot has to be fit like an astronaut.
He is an amateur pilot. If Harrison for told you that he would take you up in his helicopter, you would say yes, but if it is you amateur pilot neighbor Dave, you would say no.
............BTW, Harrison crashed his helicopter a few years back as well.
............BTW, Harrison crashed his helicopter a few years back as well.
No. You have to be fit enough to be a pilot. That means if you're going to fly into a controlled airport (or any unfamiliar airport) you need to review the Airport Facility Directory to learn the setup of the airport. It means knowing your aircraft registration number and knowing you are in an airplane and not a helicopter.
http://people.com/movies/harrison-f...s-in-helicopter-before-controversial-landing/
Aviation is a highly regulated industry. No one here said he did it on purpose. He did it because he didn't have situational awareness. He didn't just make one mistake. He made a series of errors leading up to landing on a taxiway instead of a runway.
I think he has an idea he's past his prime. He recently went flying in his privately owned Cessna Caravan with a co-pilot. That is a single pilot rated aircraft.
He made it to 74, 9 years past the mandatory retirement age for commercial pilots in the U.S. If he's smart, he'll hang it up before he kills himself or someone else.
Did you know half of all aircraft lost in WWII in crashes were from inexperienced pilots trying to land a plane.
His screw up is like driving a car into oncoming traffic. When a 70+ year old does that, it's time to take his license.
That doesn't happen "all the time".
I looked it up based on this thread, and his plane was very new to him although he was an experienced pilot. When he ran out of fuel in one tank, he reached around behind him to switch to a 2nd tank and accidentally hit the rudder pedal resulting in a dive. He hit the water at around 125 mph. I understand that they found the body (still strapped in to the plane) but not his head. I could be wrong on that last part, but don't want to know!
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