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FAA investigating Harrison Ford following incident with passenger plane

BEVERLY HILLS, CA - JANUARY 16: Actor Harrison Ford attends the 12th Annual "Living Legends of Aviation" at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 16, 2015 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

NBC News reported Monday afternoon actor Harrison Ford was involved in a potentially serious plane incident at a California airport as he was piloting his private, single-engine plane.

According to the report, Ford, who had been instructed to land his plane on runway 20-L at John Wayne Airport in Orange County, Calif., unintentionally aimed for a taxiway instead. His plane then passed above an American Airlines 737 loaded with 110 passengers and a six-person crew.

American Airlines flight 1546 had just been cleared for takeoff minutes prior to Ford's plane passing above the aircraft.

Ford reportedly asked air traffic controllers, "Was that airliner meant to be underneath me?" NBC News learned air traffic controllers informed the actor that he had landed on a taxiway instead of the runway.

Landing a plane on a taxiway is a violation of Federal Aviation Administration safety rules. In a statement, the FAA told NBC News controllers gave Ford proper landing instructions, and that he read them back to officials.

The incident prompted an FAA investigation, which NBC News said could result in anything from 'a simple warning letter to a suspension of Ford's pilot license.'

Still, Ford remains an experienced and well-respected pilot. The actor was inducted as a Living Legend of Aviation, joining the ranks of Neil Armstrong, Morgan Freeman, Tom Cruise and more.

In 2015, Ford crashed his World War II-era plane on a Santa Monica golf course after the engine failed. He suffered a broken arm and minor head injuries. The actor also crash-landed a helicopter in 1999 amid a flight lesson in Ventura County, California. And in 2000, his Beechcraft Bonanza slightly scraped the runway during an emergency landing at Nebraska's Lincoln Municipal Airport.

As more information becomes available, this story will be updated.

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