The actor was stabilized and taken to a hospital. Sources said he sustained cuts to his head. There was no word on other injuries or what caused the plane to crash. It appeared he was flying solo.

Ford's injuries were originally described as "critical," but sources emphasized that they are better characterized as serious, including lacerations to the head and possible fractures.

Howard Tabe, an employee at Penmar Golf Course, said, "There was blood all over his face. ... Two very fine doctors were treating him, taking good care of him. I helped put a blanket under his hip."

The plane crashed on the golf course just west of the airport shortly after takeoff from the Santa Monica Airport, according to Ian Gregor of the Federal Aviation Administration, NBC Los Angeles reported.

An avid flyer of both planes and helicopters, Ford was in a bad crash of a Bell chopper in 1999 Santa Clara, California. In 2008, he told National Geographic, "Well, there was a mechanical failure while we were practicing power recovery autorotations. It was more or less a hard landing. Luckily, I was with another aviation professional and neither of us was hurt — and both of us are still flying."