The NASA WB-57 aircraft experienced a “mechanical issue” as it landed without landing gear at Ellington Airport, southeast of Houston, on Tuesday, Jan. 27.
“Today, a mechanical issue with one of NASA’s WB-57s resulted in a gear-up landing at Ellington Field,” NASA spokesperson Bethany Stevens announced on X. “Response to the incident is ongoing…”
Two people were inside the aircraft when it crash-landed, Fox 5 Atlanta reported. All crew members on board “are safe at this time,” confirmed Stevens.
Footage shared by Khou 11 shows the NASA jet approaching Ellington airfield without its landing gear visible, before landing on its belly as flames erupt from underneath the plane, followed by a trail of smoke. Several fire trucks are seen surrounding the plane afterwards.
The Canberra aircraft landed at around 11:30 a.m. local time on Tuesday, after experiencing a “serious malfunction and failure with the landing gear” of the plane, according to OSINTdefender on X.
According to the Houston Fire Department (HFD), the front landing gear of the plane failed, causing it to land on its belly, per Fox 5 Atlanta. No one was injured in the incident, according to the outlet.
The runway was closed following the incident as the aircraft was removed, Jim Szczesniak, Director of Aviation for Houston Airports, said, per Fox 5 Atlanta.
Witness Nevada Vazquez filmed the plane as it approached the runway, before bursting into flames. “I was casually filming the aircraft while it was on a test flight and happened to capture the accident while filming it coming in,” she told Storyful.
“A thorough investigation will be conducted by NASA into the cause,” said NASA spokesperson Stevens. “NASA will transparently update the public as we gather more information.”
PEOPLE reached out to NASA and the HFD for further comment, but they did not immediately respond.
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