Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman was involved in a plane scare in Mississipi.

The Oscar-winning actor was the only passenger on board the plane, which experienced serious technical failures shortly after taking off, leading the pilot to perform an emergency crash landing.

The 'Shawshank Redemption' star said: ''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.''

The 78-year-old Hollywood icon was on his way to shoot 'The Story of God', a National Geographic television series about religion, when the plane was forced to land 36 miles from where it had taken off, in Tunica, Mississippi.

Last year, Morgan - who has had a pilot's licence for 12 years - was forced to land a malfunctioning plane on his way to the Toronto Film Festival.

He was flying from his home in Mississippi to attend the premiere of his film 'Ruth & Alex' at the festival, but was 90 minutes late because of the terrifying incident.