Harrison Ford in hospital after crash-landing WW2 plane

Harrison Ford was rushed to hospital after crashing a small plane into a golf course near Los Angeles yesterday.

The Star Wars and Indiana Jones star suffered "moderate" injuries, but was said to be in a stable condition on Thursday evening after crashing the vintage plane he was piloting on the Penmar golf course near Santa Monica's municipal airport.

The 72-year-old actor was "alert and conscious" and suffering "moderate trauma", The Guardian reports.

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Paramedics "initiated spinal immobilisation, started an IV and began all the necessary medical protocols that we do, " said Patrick Butler, the Los Angeles assistant fire chief.

After the crash the actor's son, Ben Ford, tweeted: "At the hospital. Dad is ok. Battered, but ok! He is every bit the man you would think he is. He is an incredibly strong man."

The website TMZ, which first reported the story, said Ford suffered "multiple gashes to his head".

Shortly after he took off from Santa Monica airport, Ford reported that he was experiencing engine trouble with the 1942 Ryan Aeronautical ST3KR he was piloting and informed the tower that he would make an "immediate return", the BBC reports. He failed to make it to the airport and crashed into the Penmar golf course.

Jeff Kuprycz, who was playing golf witnessed the crash and told the Associated Press news agency: "There was no explosion or anything. It just sounded like a car hitting the ground or a tree or something. Like that one little bang, and that was it. He ended up crashing around the eighth hole."

On Thursday night, the actor's publicist said that Ford's injuries were not life threatening and "he is expected to make a full recovery."