Morgan Freeman Involved In Scary Crash Landing

According to USA Today, Academy Award winner Morgan Freeman was the sole passenger aboard a SJ30 jet when it blew a tire and was forced to make an emergency landing in Tunica, Mississippi, less than 40 miles from where the plane took off. Fortunately, no one was hurt.

But things got even scarier for the 78-year-old when the plane, billed as "the world's fastest light business jet," failed to stop at the end of the runway and slid into a dirt field.

“Sometimes things don’t go as planned and a tire blew on takeoff, which caused other problems,” he said in a statement to the Associated Press. “But thanks to my excellent pilot Jimmy Hobson we landed safely without a scratch. I cannot say the same about my plane. I appreciate the concern and prayers for our safety.”

Freeman's friend, Mayor Bill Luckett of Clarksdale, who co-owns two local spots with the actor, told AP that the aircraft made what he described as a controlled forced landing just before nightfall Saturday at an airport in Tunica after it had taken off from Clarksdale. The Clarksdale mayor said another plane picked up the Houston-bound actor in Tunica.

Clarksdale is about 40 miles from the city of Charleston, Mississippi, where the actor was sent as an infant to live with his grandmother, and bought the land his grandparents owned in 1991. The actor told Garden & Gun Magazine , “I realized it’s where I was happiest. It’s where I belong.”

Freeman was involved in another accident near his home on a rural highway in 2008. The crash left both the actor and a passenger seriously injured, but no charges were filed and Freeman settled a lawsuit filed by the passenger the following year.

In addition to his unmistakable voice, the five-time Oscar nominee, who is perhaps best known for his roles in The Shawshank Redemption and Driving Miss Daisy, was on his way to Texas to shoot for the National Geographic series, The Story of God, which Freeman is set to host and executive produce.

According to Lori McCreary, Freeman’s co-executive producer on the series, “National Geographic’s unprecedented inside access will allow us to explore the global mystery behind God and religion. With Morgan as our storyteller, we’re going to produce a visually stunning and thought-provoking series that will spur meaningful conversations about God and faith, by believers and nonbelievers alike.” The series will also include Freeman’s own opinions on the matter.

Added Freeman, “The story of God is one of the greatest mysteries and most important ideas in the world. For me, this is a personal and enduring quest to understand the divine, and I am humbled by the opportunity to take viewers along on this incredible journey.”

Thankfully, no one was hurt after this terrifying experience. Here is Freeman's full statement about the incident, as released to Bustle:

I was on my plane on the way to Texas to shoot a segment for The Story of God. Sometimes things don't go as planned and a tire blew on take-off which caused other problems. But thanks to my excellent pilot Jimmy Hobson we landed safely without a scratch. I cannot say the same about my plane. I appreciate the concern and prayers for our safety.