All crewmembers are reported safe Tuesday after a NASA aircraft made a "belly landing" at Houston's Ellington Airfield.
The crew of the research plane, a WB57 high altitude jet operated through the Johnson Space Center, experienced what NASA spokeswoman Bethany Stevens called a "mechanical issue" and were forced to touch down at an Ellington runway about 11:30 with the landing gear in the "up" position.
Friction as the plane slid on the runway caused sparks and flames under the jet.
Such landings can be very dangerous, so the crew called for assistance as it landed, sending fire and EMS vehicles rushing to the plane after it came to a stop, but there wasn't fire or explosion as sometimes happens in such "hard landings," and there's been no word of injuries.
The plane will be inspected for structural damage likely because of the hard landing, and NASA is calling for in investigation into the incident.
“Response to the incident is ongoing, and all crew are safe at this time,” Stevens said Tuesday afternoon.
The NASA WB57 is an all-altitude plane that usually travels with a crew of at least two people and can fly as high as 60,000 feet, while most planes fly at 30,000-40,000 feet above sea level.
In a statement, Director of Aviation for Houston Airports Jim Szczesniak, 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."