Hollywood actor Harrison Ford was reportedly left bloodied with a “huge” cut on his head after the plane he was piloting crash-landed on a golf course.

The 72-year-old, who starred in blockbusters including the Indiana Jones and Star Wars movies, was the only occupant of the single-engine vintage World War II plane when it came down on Thursday in the Venice area of Los Angeles at 2.30pm (10.30pm GMT).

Initial reports said the “experienced” pilot was critically injured, but Patrick Butler of the city's Fire Department (LAFD) – who would not officially identify Ford due to privacy restrictions – later said he suffered moderate injuries.

Speaking from the scene of the crash at Penmar Golf Course, he said: “He suffered basically some moderate trauma and he was alert and conscious and paramedics from LAFD transported the patient to the local area hospital.”

He is an incredibly strong man

A witness told the TMZ website that the plane nosedived straight on to the eighth hole tee box, leaving Ford with a very deep cut. The witness reportedly said: “I was one of the first people to run from the hole towards the plane. Four to five men pulled the pilot out of the plane. They got him away from the plane. They were concerned it would catch on fire. Two doctors were there – and they had a first aid box with them. He was conscious, talking a little – a huge cut on his head. A swath of his skin was missing. There was blood dripping down his face.”

The actor's son Ben said his father is “incredibly strong” and thanked the public for their good wishes.

“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,” he wrote on Twitter.

“Thank you all for your thoughts and good vibes for my dad.”

Harrison Ford’s airplane sitting on the ground after crash-landing at Penmar Golf Course in Venice, Los Angeles. Photo: Lucy Nicholson/Reuters

Harrsion Ford. Photo: Andrew Winning/Reuters

Air crash investigator Patrick Jones told a press conference that the vintage aircraft had clipped the top of a tree on an attempted return to the runway at Santa Monica airport before landing on the golf course. Asked about Ford's condition, he said: “We believe that he is going to survive.”

The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will now investigate the crash in a process that could take up to a year before a final report.

The accident is understood to have happened shortly after the plane took off.

In a recording on the website LiveATC.net, a man – believed to be Ford – is heard to say “engine failure, immediate return”.

A spokesman for Ford said: “Harrison was flying a World War 2 vintage plane which stalled upon take-off. He had no other choice but to make an emergency landing, which he did safely. The injuries sustained are not life-threatening, and he is expected to make a full recovery.”

Video footage also emerged of paramedics treating the actor at the scene of the crash.

The actor has been in the wars of late and broke his leg in June last year while filming J.J. Abrams's Star Wars Episode VII at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire.

Ford, who is married to actress Calista Flockhart, got his pilot's licence in the 1990s and has made headlines with his flying before – although he had never been significantly injured doing it.