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Harrison Ford plane crash: NTSB releases preliminary report

Investigators release latest findings about Harrison Ford's plane crash
New reports on Harrison Ford's plane crash 01:22

More details have emerged about Harrison Ford's plane crash with the release of the National Transportation Safety Board's preliminary report on Tuesday.

Investigators say Ford's vintage World War II plane, a Ryan Aeronautical ST3KR, sustained "substantial damage following a loss of engine power" last Thursday after taking off at Santa Monica Municipal Airport. The report says Ford -- the plane's pilot and sole passenger -- was "seriously injured."

Once he saw trouble, Ford alerted traffic control of an engine failure and requested an immediate return to the airport, according to the findings.

"The pilot initiated a left turn back towards the airport; the airplane subsequently struck the top of a tall tree prior to impacting the ground in an open area of a golf course, about 800 feet southwest of the approach end of runway 3. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage," the NTSB report says.

The 72-year-old actor, who was hospitalized following the crash, is expected to make a full recovery.

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