Harrison Ford did a good job of crash landing plane, says Shropshire aero club instructor

Bob Pooler was shocked to hear the Star Wars actor had been in a flying accident. Harrison, 72, was flying solo in a World War Two training aircraft when it crashed at Penmar Golf Course in the Venice area of Los Angeles.

The star of the Indiana Jones and Star Wars films used his extensive piloting skills to "beautifully" bring down the plane on the course and avoid nearby homes.

He suffered multiple gashes to his head and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Harrison Ford's musician son performed in the Midlands hours after the crash.

His son Malcolm made a live appearance at the Dark Horse in Moseley, Birmingham, last night with his band The Dough Rollers.

A spokesman for the band said ahead of the gig: "It has obviously been quite a traumatic event for all concerned and it is still a sensitive and private issue but the show must go on and we are very much looking forward to playing in Birmingham."

Fans of the New York blues group had contacted the venue to check whether the performance would still happen in the wake of the plane crash, with a post on the Dark Horse facebook page stating: "We have been getting lots of messages asking if the show is still going ahead with The Dough Rollers, the answer is yes.

Ford became a lifetime member of Shropshire Aero Club after hiring a Aviat Husky aircraft there in October last year while filming the new Star Wars movie.

Mr Pooler, of the club based at Sleap Airfield near Wem, said: "In addition to being chief flying instructor, I am also the dealer for the UK for the type of plane that Harrison likes to fly. I got involved because he wanted to hire a plane from us and I had the task of checking him out for competency and he proved to be a very good pilot.

"I had the pleasure of checking out Harrison who I have been a fan of since the 1980s, and as far as piloting skills he had no problem.

"I am not sure what caused the engine failure, typically its fuel or electrical problems, but it's a major part of training dealing with engine failure.

"From the pictures I have seen it looks like he did a good job of landing the aeroplane."

Witnesses to the crash praised Ford for avoiding a built-up suburban area and instead bringing the plane down on the golf course. He was said to have moderate injuries with people reporting seeing a lot of blood on his face.

The actor reported engine failure to the Santa Monica airport control tower moments after taking off.

He requested "immediate return" and was cleared to land but did not make it to the runway and is thought to have clipped a tree.

He was the only person in the vintage plane, a Ryan PT-22 Recruit, which was used for training during the Second World War.

Mr Pooler said: "The plane will be well maintained but the fact remains that the aircraft is probably 50 or 60 years old and it is a mechanical device. Mechanical devices do have problems particularly as they get older.

"I do know Harrison's own private pilot and sent a message to him but I haven't heard anything back yet."

Mr Pooler added that he had experienced a similar incident. He said: "It has happened to me. I lived for five years in the States and I was on a training flight in a single engine aeroplane. We had a very similar thing and we landed on an oval horse race track when the engine stopped.

"It's the time when it does test you."

He said: "It depends on the person. It's a very rare event to happen and I guess one way of looking at it is if it has happened to you, it won't happen again.

"But it does make you think. But aircraft generally are safe and they can glide. So if you have engine failure you can glide it down – but pick your spot, that's the main thing."

The crash was the latest and most serious in a series of crashes and close-calls for the A-lister, who like his Star Wars alter-ego Han Solo has a taste for aerial thrills.

A full investigation will be carried out into the cause of the crash on Thursday which is expected to last months.