Han Solo Rescued Me: Man Recalls Day Harrison Ford Saved Him From Yellowstone After Getting Lost As Child

Harrison Ford may be best known for his acting career, but his recent plane crash has thrust another aspect of his life into the spotlight. Ford is an experienced pilot who has not only been a hero on the big screen, but also in real life. A former boy scout recalls the day that Ford rescued him after he was lost in Yellowstone for over 19 hours. The boy says that he never expected his helicopter rescue pilot would be Han Solo.

The internet is abuzz after Harrison Ford was called a hero for safely landing his vintage, World War II-era plane. The beloved actor is said to have saved lives by expertly landing his plane on the golf course greens. One witness to the crash, Eddie Aguglia, notes that the crash could have been much worse if Ford was not such an expert pilot.

“Looking at where he crashed and how the plane went down, I’m sure there was a moment where he said, ‘I’m not going to risk lives, whatever happens, happens. It’s going to be just me.’ He risked life and limb by putting it down on the golf course instead of trying to go further to try to get back to the airport. Another 25 to 30 yards and … I don’t want to think about it. He saved several lives.”

In addition to the statements from witnesses at the scene, the cockpit recording from the crash also indicates Ford’s level of expertise. According to aviation experts, the recording also shows Ford as an experienced, cool-headed pilot whose calm, decisive reactions likely saved his own life and maybe the lives of innocent people on the ground as well.

However, none of this came as a surprise to former boy scout Cody Clawson, who knows first-hand what it is like to be rescued by Han Solo. Clawson was just 13-years-old when he got lost while on a camping trip in Yellowstone. Clawson was lost for 19 hours before he was spotted by a helicopter rescue pilot. However, the child could have never guessed the identify of the pilot. Harrison Ford was piloting the helicopter that would bring Clawson to safety that day. Clawson says the whole rescue was surreal and he couldn’t believe that he had just been rescued by Han Solo.

“The pilot turned round and said, ‘Good morning’. The way he said it reminded me so much of his role of Han Solo in Star Wars. Then I was like, ‘Oh my God, Han Solo has just rescued me, how cool is that’. I thought I was delirious at first but then realized I wasn’t dreaming.”

Clawson, who is now 26, says that Ford is a good person and that we are lucky to have such a influence on our lives.

“He had always been somebody I looked up to and appreciated. And what he did gave me a different perspective on stars. They sometimes get portrayed as snobby people, but there really is good, generous people out there. And to me Harrison Ford is one of those good people who we’re lucky to have as an influence on our lives.”

Did you know that Harrison Ford worked as a rescue helicopter pilot in his free time?