Dramatic video footage showed flames billowing from the bottom of a NASA research plane as it made an emergency belly landing at a Texas airport Tuesday.
The NASA WB-57 aircraft was forced to slide gears-up — or without its landing equipment deployed — onto the runway at Ellington Airfield in Houston after it experienced a mechanical issue at around 11:30 a.m., according to the space agency’s spokesperson, Bethany Stevens.
“Response to the incident is ongoing, and all crew are safe at this time,” Stevens said in a statement.
“As with any incident, a thorough investigation will be conducted by NASA into the cause. NASA will transparently update the public as we gather more information,” she wrote.
Houston Fire Department personnel arrived on the scene and told local news outlet KTVU there had been two people on board during the terrifying ordeal.
It appeared the plane’s landing gear had failed, the department told the outlet.
The runway was ordered closed until the plane could be removed, said Director of Aviation for Houston Airports Jim Szczesniak, who noted that “first responders with a military subcontractor” also responded to the scene.
The aircraft — which is designed to travel extended periods of time from sea level to altitudes higher than 63,000 feet — “have been flying research missions since the early 1970s,” according to NASA.
Three of the specialized planes are operated out of the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, home to the agency’s WB-57 High Altitude Research Program.
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