NASA WB-57 Makes Belly Landing at Ellington Airport

A NASA high-altitude research aircraft made an emergency belly landing at Ellington Airport near Houston, Texas, on Tuesday after a mechanical failure prevented its landing gear from deploying, according to agency officials. The incident occurred around 11:30 a.m. local time, with the two crew members on board emerging unharmed as emergency responders secured the scene.

Video footage circulating on social media captured the WB-57 aircraft descending slowly toward Runway 17R/35L before touching down with a jolt. Its wings bounced slightly as it slid along the runway on its fuselage, producing bursts of yellow flames, white smoke, and sparks from the friction. The plane gradually slowed to a stop, with the flames quickly subsiding. Local television station KHOU 11 broadcast images of the aircraft at rest, its cockpit hatch open and firefighters surrounding the black-nosed jet. Responders assisted the pilot and sensor operator in exiting the cockpit, and no injuries were reported.

NASA confirmed the mechanical issue in a statement posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. "Today, a mechanical issue with one of NASA's WB-57s resulted in a gear-up landing at...