The Los Angeles plane crash involving an aircraft piloted by “Star Wars” actor Harrison Ford was likely caused by a faulty carburetor, the National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday.
The organization said that the March 5 crash was due to a “total loss of engine power.”
A release issued by the NTSB said that the probable cause of the crash was a “total loss of engine power during initial climb when the carburetor main metering jet became unseated, which led to an extremely rich fuel-to-air ratio. Contributing to the accident was the lack of adequate carburetor
maintenance instructions.”
The board added, “A postaccident examination of the airplane’s engine revealed that the carburetor’s main metering jet was unscrewed from its seat and rotated 90 degrees. The unseated jet would have allowed an increased fuel flow through the main metering orifice, producing an extremely rich fuel-to-air ratio, which would have resulted in the loss of engine power. It is likely that, over time, the jet gradually loosened from its seat, which allowed it to eventually rotate 90 degrees. No further mechanical failures or malfunctions were revealed that would have precluded normal operation.”
According to the NTSB, the carburetor was rebuilt when the plane was restored 17 years ago, and there was no record of the carburetor jets being inspected since the rebuild, though there was no requirement to do so.
Ford, who had to make a forced landing on a golf course near Santa Monica Airport shortly after takeoff, was hospitalized following the crash but has since recovered. The NTSB said that his injuries were likely made worse by an “improperly installed shoulder harness,” which lacked reinforcement at or around the attachment bolt hole in the seatback.
Harrison Ford and 9 Other Notable Hollywood Pilots (Photos)
Harrison Ford is an avid aviator and longtime tenant of Santa Monica Airport before his crash on March 5. The "Indiana Jones" actor was even among those who filed a federal complaint with the FAA to keep the airport open last year.
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Hilary Swank got the flying bug while filming "Amelia" in 2009, and she enrolled in flight school at the Santa Monica airport as soon as the Earhart biopic wrapped.
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Angelina Jolie learned to fly at Santa Monica Airport and credited adopted son Maddox for her desire to learn because he was obsessed with planes as a three-year-old.
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Tom Cruise earned his action star status in "Top Gun," so it's natural that he got his pilot's license in 1994 (even though, in real life the 5'7" actor is too short to be a Navy pilot).
Multi-millionaire supermodel, married to the Super Bowl MVP and a helicopter pilot -- is there anything Gisele Bundchen can't do? The Brazilian beauty even learned to fly while she was pregnant.
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John Travolta is such an aviation fanatic that his house in Florida is a fully-functioning airport with two runways. The Qantas "ambassador-at-large" even has a Boeing 707 in his backyard.
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Kurt Russell's grandfather was an aerobatic pilot and the actor has followed in his footsteps. "Flying has taught me more about who I really am than anything I’ve ever done," says Russell. "I take very calculated risks."
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"American Sniper" director Clint Eastwood is an experienced pilot, and the 84-year-old has even been known to fly a helicopter just to avoid traffic.
Morgan Freeman didn't even get his pilot's license until he was 65, and has owned at least three aircrafts since including two Cessna Citations.
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After the ”Star Wars“ actor crashes his plane at a golf course in Venice, California, TheWrap looks at other stars who learned to fly
Harrison Ford is an avid aviator and longtime tenant of Santa Monica Airport before his crash on March 5. The "Indiana Jones" actor was even among those who filed a federal complaint with the FAA to keep the airport open last year.