Harrison Ford - just like his derring-do Indiana Jones alter ego - is lucky to be alive after his vintage plane lost power, clipped a tree and crash-landed on a Los Angeles golf course.
Witnesses say the 72-year-old actor's face was covered in blood after he landed the single-engine plane on a fairway at the nine-hole Penmar Golf Course, in the coastal suburb of Venice.
"Absolutely," said National Transportation Safety Board investigator Patrick Jones, when asked if Ford was lucky to be alive.
"Any time a human being is involved in an accident (that) is a lucky individual.
"... I'm sure the pilot was glad there was a golf course here."
The golf course and airport, just metres from each other, are in a heavily-populated area of the city, and it appears that a mix of luck, and Ford's skill as a pilot, avoided the plane hitting homes and golfers.
Assistant LA Fire Chief Patrick Butler said Ford was not seriously injured. He was alert, talking and breathing, and had some injuries, but paramedics were able to take him to hospital where he is in moderate to fair condition, Butler said.
Ford, who has been flying planes and helicopters for more than 30 years, was alone in the World War II Ryan ST3KR aircraft when it took off from Santa Monica airport after 2pm on Thursday.
Soon after, Ford radioed aircraft control reporting the engine failure and requesting to return.
"The pilot reported a loss of engine power and was attempting to return to the runway," Butler said.
"It appears he clipped the top of a tree and came to rest on the golf course."
Ford is married to actress Calista Flockhart, 50, and the couple have a son, Liam.
The actor also has two sons, Ben and Willard, from his first marriage to Mary Marquardt, and three grandchildren.
"At the hospital. Dad is ok, battered but OK!" Ben wrote in a tweet. "He is every bit the man you would think he is. He is an incredibly strong man."
Ford, along with other A-List Hollywood actors including Tom Cruise, John Travolta and Morgan Freeman, have used the Santa Monica airport and their own planes to fly around the world.
Ford was known for not only his love of flying, but being meticulous with his aircraft.
"It gives you freedom and responsibility," Ford has previously told AAP.
"I like seeing the world from the sky. I like controlling how I am going to see the world. I like the skill sets it involves."
Ford's spokeswoman Ina Treciokas said: "He had no other choice but to make an emergency landing, which he did safely."
"He was banged up and is in the hospital receiving medical care."
The injuries are not life-threatening and he is expected to make a full recovery, she said in a statement on Thursday night, The Associated Press reported.
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