Morgan Freeman says he was aboard his plane when it had to make an unexpected landing in Mississippi, but nobody was injured.

Mayor Bill Luckett of Clarksdale, a longtime friend of the actor, confirms the plane made a controlled forced landing before dark Saturday. Freeman released a statement saying he was headed to Texas to shoot a segment for the series "The Story of God."

He says, "Sometimes things don't go as planned and a tire blew on takeoff, which caused other problems." He says they "landed safely without a scratch." He says he can't say the same about his plane.

Luckett says Freeman and the pilot were aboard the flight that originated in Clarksdale, and another plane was en route to Tunica, the landing site, to pick Freeman up.