Harrison Ford's plane crash was caused by a faulty carburetor

Home Top

Princess Bea and the Queen of TV: Oprah, Gayle and Disney's Bob Iger party alongside Princess Beatrice on neighboring mega-yachts in Ibiza - the royal's SEVENTEENTH vacation this year
Colorado theater gunman James Holmes AVOIDS the death sentence and is jailed for life without parole for killing 12 and wounding 70 in 2012
The best way to cut a bagel revealed: Scientists say you should slice the snack along the 'Mobius Strip' to add more filling
EXCLUSIVE: And the name of Kim and Kanye's new baby boy is...(Hint: they're going in a different direction!)
Nick Gordon is sued for 'giving Bobbi Kristina a lethal cocktail and putting her face down in a cold bath before laying down with mystery female guest and telling her "I want a pretty little white girl like you"'
Do these aerial images show Iran's last-ditch efforts to hide nuclear weapons? Think tank claims 'incriminating evidence' after sanctions are lifted by Obama
Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer says he will oppose President Obama's Iran nuclear deal
The two men behind the $500million Gardner Museum heist are DEAD, authorities reveal one day after releasing never-before-seen surveillance footage of the night before the infamous 1990 robbery
Apple spends $700,000-a-year on security for CEO Tim Cook - but Amazon spends even more protecting Jeff Bezos
Eccentric tech millionaire John McAfee arrested after being caught driving high on Xanax with a gun in his car
PIERS MORGAN: Yes, Donald Trump can be vicious, arrogant, obnoxious and even a little bit evil - which is exactly why a lot of people think he will make a bloody good President
PICTURED: Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump at his 2005 wedding to Melania - after he says he gave a big donation to family's foundation and she HAD to come
Carly Fiorina makes new waves after shining in second-tier Cleveland debate but loses her cool in 'spin' room at the sound of Trump's name -- and had her own Clinton Foundation love-fest last year
The Donald wins the social media contest: Trump most-talked about candidate in first GOP debate - followed by breakout star Ben Carson
RICHARD LITTLEJOHN: The more offensive Teflon Don is, the more Americans want to vote for him: How nothing seems to stick to property mogul turned Republican hopeful Donald Trump
Django Unchained actress ordered to REWRITE apology letter to LAPD after her passive-aggressive first draft accused the arresting officer of racially profiling
Woman is killed by Metro North express train while trying to get her pocketbook off the tracks
Is this where life finally died out on Mars? Salt flats could be the last place water survived on the red planet, study finds
Inside Cindy Crawford's fridge: Almond milk, dozens of eggs (and some beers for husband Rande Gerber)
A bespoke Big Mac! McDonald's tests $6 create-your-own gourmet burger in New York City
EXCLUSIVE: Watch out Whoopi! THE VIEW veteran Meredith Vieira is revamping her daytime talk show to turn it into a better version of ABC's struggling flagship - but Arnie's daughter didn't make the cut!
Service dog dials 911 during fire and saves blind owner's life by pulling her from house
$Picture Shows: Amanda Anka, Jason Bateman, Coco Arquette, Courteney Cox, Justin Theroux, Jennifer Aniston, Johnny McDaid August 07, 2015\n \n **MINIMUM WEB USAGE £500**\n \n Actress Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux start their honeymoon and brought along some of their closest friends for the trip in Bora Bora. \n \n The couple wed in a ceremony at their Bel Air home on Wednesday night in front of 75 of their friends and family and apparently decided to keep the party rolling and brought some of them along for their honeymoon! \n \n **MINIMUM WEB USAGE £500**\n \n Exclusive All round\n UK RIGHTS ONLY\n \n Pictures by : FameFlynet UK © 2015\n Tel : +44 (0)20 3551 5049\n Email : info@fameflynet.uk.com$ The honeymoon crashers! Maid of honor Courteney Cox and Hollywood pals join newlyweds Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux on romantic cruise in Bora Bora
At least four people dead as gunmen 'try to kidnap' Western hotel guests in Mali

Ford flying Second World War plane in California when failure happened
Actor had to make emergency landing on golf course, breaking his pelvis
Report now says faulty carburetor caused a total loss on engine power
Badly installed safety harness contributed to injuries, investigators said

Published: 16:34 EST, 6 August 2015 | Updated: 19:01 EST, 6 August 2015

View
comments

Harrison Ford's plane crash which left him with a broken pelvis was likely caused by a faulty carburetor which allowed fuel to flood into the engine, an investigation has found.

Ford, 73, was piloting his vintage vintage two-seater World War II fighter plane over Penmar Golf Course in Venice, California on March 5 when he was forced to carry out a crash landing.

Now National Transportation Safety Board investigators have revealed that a faulty carburetor meant the engine completely cut out shortly after takeoff, causing the plane to plunge out of the sky.

Scroll down for video

Harrison Ford had just taken off from Santa Monica Airport, California, on March 5 this year when his engine cut out, meaning he was forced to make an emergency landing on a golf course

The carburetor inside Ford's plane had broken free from its casing and rotated 90 degrees, meaning the engine was flooded with fuel and cut out, a report says (pictured, Ford earlier this week)

Despite the catastrophic failure during the most risky stage of the flight, Ford was able to carry out a near perfect emergency landing and survived with a head laceration, and a broken pelvis and hip.

A report by the NTSB, seen by The Wrap, said the carburetor, which is responsible for controlling the flow of oxygen and fuel into the engine, had broken free of its casing and rotated 90 degrees.

The report says that this would have resulted in 'a very rich fuel to air mix' which caused a 'total loss of engine power'.

Combustion engines require just the right mix of air and fuel to work, or they will cut out. Introducing too much fuel would smother any spark, like throwing too much wood on a fire.

The NTSB report noted that the carburetor was likely replaced when the plane was renovated 17 years ago and had probably not been checked since then, as there is no requirement to do so.

The report added that Ford's injuries were likely made worse by an 'improperly installed shoulder harness', but otherwise investigators found nothing else that could have contributed to the crash.

The Hollywood A-lister, who starred in the Indiana Jones movies and the Star Wars franchise, had taken off from Santa Monica Airport on March 5 last year when the crash happened.

Shortly after takeoff, Ford, a father-of-five, radioed back to air traffic control to report a problem with his 1942 Ryan Aeronautical ST3KR plane and was given clearance to land.

Dramatic audio: Moment Harrison Ford calls in engine failure

Investigators said an improperly installed safety harness inside the plane likely exacerbated Ford's injuries, but found nothing other than the carburetor that could have caused the engine failure

Ford spent a month in hospital after the accident with a broken pelvis, a deep laceration to his head and a broken ankle before receiving rehab at home

However, he was unable to make it back to the runway, and instead chose to ditch it into the middle of a nearby golf course.

Medics who had been taking part in a game of golf rushed to his aid, and he was pictured shortly afterwards being put on to a stretcher and loaded into the back of an ambulance.

He spent the rest of that month in hospital before being released, and underwent some rehab at home to get used to walking again.

Ford got his pilot's license in the 1990s and has made headlines with his flying before, though he had never been significantly injured doing it.

In 2001, he rescued a missing Boy Scout with his helicopter. Nearly a year before, he rescued an ailing mountain climber in Jackson, Wyoming.

In 2000 in Lincoln, Nebraska, a gust of wind sent a six-seat plane Ford was piloting off the runway. He and his passenger were not injured.

He has also volunteered his services during forest-fire season, when rescue helicopters are busy fighting blazes.

Ford will take to the silver screen later this year in the latest Star Wars movie, entitled The Force Awakens, which is due to premier in December.

He will reprise his role as the dashing space captain Han Solo which turned him into a Hollywood name when the first film hit screens in 1977.

Aerial footage shows Harrison Ford's vintage plane on golf course