LOS ANGELES — When a man battles Darth Vader, Nazis and other evil-doers for work, what does he do for fun? Harrison Ford finds his answer in a pilot’s license and the freedom to take to the skies.

But with adventure comes risk, just as Han Solo, Indiana Jones and other daring movie characters Ford brought to life realized. On Thursday, one of Hollywood’s pre-eminent stars added a plane crash to an aviation record that includes both mishaps and service to others.

Ford, 72, who battled Hitler’s henchmen in “Raiders of the Lost Ark” as dashing archaeologist Jones, was flying a World War II-era plane when it lost engine power shortly after takeoff from Santa Monica Municipal Airport near Los Angeles. He crash-landed on a golf course next to the airport.

Bystanders who feared the aircraft might explode or catch fire pulled the actor from the plane, and doctors who happened to be playing golf gave him initial help, Los Angeles fire officials said. An ambulance then took him to a hospital in fair to moderate condition.

“He had no other choice but to make an emergency landing, which he did safely,” Ford spokeswoman Ina Treciokas said. “He was banged up and is in the hospital receiving medical care.”

The injuries are not life-threatening and he is expected to make a full recovery, she said in a statement Thursday night. No one on the ground was hurt.

Ford took off at 2 p.m. Thursday. About 20 minutes later, he told the airport tower that he had engine failure and was making an immediate return, according to a recording posted by LiveATC.net.

The plane had been flying at about 3,000 feet and hit a tree on the way down, according to witnesses and officials.

Ford had a cut to his forehead and scraped arms, but it wasn’t clear what internal injuries he may have received, Los Angeles Assistant Fire Chief Patrick Butler said.

“He wasn’t a bloody mess. He was alert. He had good vitals,” Butler said.

The plane, a yellow 1942 Ryan Aeronautical ST3KR with stars on its wings, had damage mostly confined to the front.

“I would say that this is an absolutely beautifully executed — what we would call — a forced or emergency landing, by an unbelievably well-trained pilot,” said Christian Fry of the Santa Monica Airport Association.

Charlie Thomson, a flight instructor at the airport who saw Ford take off, said engine failure like Ford’s does not make the plane harder to maneuver. “It just means you have to go down,” he said.