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VIDEO: NASA plane makes belly landing at Ellington Airport
Video captured by Nevada Vasquez shows the moment a NASA plane had to make a belly landing at Ellington Airport on Tuesday.
HOUSTON - A NASA research plane landed on its belly at Ellington Airport in Houston after the landing gear failed, officials say.
NASA plane has landing problem
What we know:
Several fire trucks responded to a plane on the field around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday.
According to the Houston Fire Department, it appears the front landing gear failed, and the plane landed on its belly.
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NASA plane down at Ellington Field Airport
An incident involving a NASA aircraft was caught by SkyFOX at Ellington Field Airport. John Dawson shares a bit of what this aircraft does.
Two people were onboard. No injuries have been reported.
The aircraft is a NASA WB-57, which is used to conduct high-altitude research.
What we don't know:
It’s unclear what caused the landing gear to fail.
What they're saying:
Bethany Stevens, with NASA, wrote on X, "Today, a mechanical issue with one of NASA’s WB-57s resulted in a gear-up landing at Ellington Field. Response to the incident is ongoing, and all crew are safe at this time. 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.
Runway closed as aircraft is removed
In a statement, Jim Szczesniak, Director of Aviation for Houston Airports, said, "Around 11:30 a.m. today, a NASA aircraft had an issue upon landing on Runway 17R-35L at Ellington Airport (EFD). First responders with a military subcontractor are responding to the incident. The runway is closed until the aircraft can be removed. All further questions need to be directed to NASA."
The Source: The information in this article comes from SkyFOX aerials and the Houston Fire Department.