NASA Plane Makes Emergency Landing in Texas Without Landing Gear, Videos Show.
A NASA research aircraft experienced a mechanical failure and was forced to make an emergency landing without its landing gear on Tuesday at Ellington Airport, southeast of Houston. The incident left onlookers stunned as the plane slid across the runway with flames shooting from beneath it, sending massive plumes of smoke into the air.
According to NASA officials, both crew members are safe, but a full investigation into the cause of the malfunction is underway. The aircraft, known as the WB-57, has been in service since the 1970s and has flown numerous research missions over the years.
A video posted on social media captured the dramatic moment, showing the plane's wheels lifting off the ground just before impact, with flames bursting from its belly as it careened down the runway. The aircraft eventually came to a stop, its engines sputtering, but still emitting smoke and fire.
Local news footage shows emergency responders rushing to the scene, while nearby residents are seen watching in horror as fire trucks arrived on the scene. Despite the incident, NASA officials assured that both crew members were unharmed and were treated for any potential injuries.
The cause of the malfunction is currently under investigation by NASA and other relevant authorities, but it's unclear at this time what may have led to the failure of the aircraft's landing gear system.
A NASA research aircraft experienced a mechanical failure and was forced to make an emergency landing without its landing gear on Tuesday at Ellington Airport, southeast of Houston. The incident left onlookers stunned as the plane slid across the runway with flames shooting from beneath it, sending massive plumes of smoke into the air.
According to NASA officials, both crew members are safe, but a full investigation into the cause of the malfunction is underway. The aircraft, known as the WB-57, has been in service since the 1970s and has flown numerous research missions over the years.
A video posted on social media captured the dramatic moment, showing the plane's wheels lifting off the ground just before impact, with flames bursting from its belly as it careened down the runway. The aircraft eventually came to a stop, its engines sputtering, but still emitting smoke and fire.
Local news footage shows emergency responders rushing to the scene, while nearby residents are seen watching in horror as fire trucks arrived on the scene. Despite the incident, NASA officials assured that both crew members were unharmed and were treated for any potential injuries.
The cause of the malfunction is currently under investigation by NASA and other relevant authorities, but it's unclear at this time what may have led to the failure of the aircraft's landing gear system.
just saw that NASA plane made an emergency landing in Texas without its landing gear!!! 
I'm literally shaking right now... like, how do you even fly a plane without wheels?! 
The videos are insane, flames shooting from underneath and smoke everywhere... it's like something out of a sci-fi movie! 
I hope the crew is okay tho, that would be a major bummer if they got hurt. 
NASA needs to figure out what went wrong ASAP so this doesn't happen again... safety first, right? 
.
! I mean, we're used to hearing about AI making mistakes in movies and TV shows, but this is real life 
. And if you're wondering what happened next, I'm keeping an eye on the news! 
The fact that the landing gear failed is just so baffling - how did that even happen?! 
And now we're left wondering what could've caused it... was it a manufacturing defect, human error, or something entirely different? 
did they have any fire extinguishers on board? anyway, i guess this is a good thing it happened at an airport with trained responders, so everyone got evacuated safely 
. now let's just hope the investigation finds out what went wrong and makes sure something like this never happens again 
and there was flames coming out from underneath it!!! I mean, I know it's not uncommon for planes to have issues but this is crazy 
. I'm glad the crew members are safe tho 
they must be so shaken up right now. And can we talk about how fast that plane slid across the runway? Like what even is that?! 
. And those flames shooting up from underneath the plane?! 
Whoa! I'm glad no one got hurt, but still... what could've caused this? Was it just a freak accident or was there something more to it? 
? Still, crazy how much smoke and fire came outta that thing, hope those crew members are gonna be alright... 
. But seriously though, I hope those crew members are okay. The whole thing sounds super intense and scary. I'm not sure what kind of malfunction could cause that kind of thing, but I guess they'll figure it out once the investigation is done 
. And wow, the video of it all going down must be crazy... can you imagine being on that plane and seeing your wheels lift off the ground 
And those flames shooting out from under the plane? 
thankfully, both crew members are safe tho 
whoever finds out will tell us soon enough 
. anyway, glad no one was hurt 
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