A NASA analysis aircraft malfunctioned and needed to contact down in Texas with out touchdown gear on Tuesday, sliding throughout the runway on its stomach and sending plumes of flame behind it, a video posted to social media confirmed.
The crew landed the aircraft at Ellington Airport, southeast of Houston, and are “all secure at the moment,” NASA stated in a put up on X. The federal house company added that there was “mechanical difficulty” that shall be investigated.
The plane with its distinct skinny fuselage is the NASA WB-57. The aircraft with two crew seats is able to flying for about 6 1/2 hours at excessive altitudes — past 63,000 toes (19,200 meters).
Video exhibits the aircraft slowly descending towards the runway, then touching down with a jolt, its wings bouncing as yellow hearth and white smoke bursts from beneath it. It steadily slides down the monitor, the flames bursting and disappearing in a cloud of smoke. The plane begins to sluggish earlier than the video ends.
Native information footage from KHOU 11 exhibits the aircraft at a cease, the cockpit hatch open, hearth vehicles flashing close by and emergency responders working across the black nostril of the plane.
The NASA WB-57 has flown analysis missions for the reason that Seventies and continues to be an asset for the scientific neighborhood, in response to the company’s web site.
