{"id":271030,"date":"2026-01-30T00:45:24","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T00:45:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/271030\/"},"modified":"2026-01-30T00:45:24","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T00:45:24","slug":"nasa-research-jet-makes-fiery-wheels-up-landing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/271030\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA research jet makes fiery ‘wheels-up landing’\u2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

A white jet on a tarmac.<\/p>\n

A NASA research aircraft crashed in a fiery landing accident, but luckily none of the crew aboard the jet were harmed.<\/p>\n

One of NASA’s high-altitude WB-57 research jets skidded across the runway trailing fire and smoke behind it at Houston’s Ellington Field on Tuesday (Jan. 27) after landing with its wheels up due to a mechanical issue. Video posted to social media by Houston Air Watch shows the plane making a landing on its belly<\/a>. It’s unclear what the mechanical issue may have been, but it appears to have affected the aircraft’s landing gear.<\/p>\n

NASA confirmed that all crewmembers are safe, according to Houston news outlet KHOU 11<\/a>. Footage shows first responders helping the crew out of the cockpit after the plane came to a rest.<\/p>\n

NASA WB-57 involved in landing incident at Ellington Airport in #houston @KHOU pic.twitter.com\/HOvr2YuHshJanuary 27, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

The agency is now looking into the mechanical issue that caused the hairy landing.<\/p>\n

“Response to the incident is ongoing, and all crew are safe at this time,” NASA spokesperson Bethany Stevens posted on X<\/a> on Tuesday. “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.”<\/p>\n

NASA owns three WB-57 aircraft, variants of the Martin B-57 Canberra that was first built as a bomber and high-altitude spy plane for the United States Air Force in 1953. The B-57 saw extensive use throughout the Vietnam War doing reconnaissance runs. The aircraft was designed to fly at altitudes as high as 63,000 feet (19 kilometers) with a range of 2,500 miles (4,000 km).<\/p>\n

According to a NASA fact sheet<\/a>, two of the agency’s three WB-57s have been on hold for inspections; the one that crashed today is the only one to have flown recently. All three are based out of Ellington Field, located near the agency’s Johnson Space Center<\/a> in Houston.<\/p>\n

A pilot goes through a pre-flight safety inspection on a NASA WB-57 plane before it was flown to study the April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse. (Image credit: Houston Chronicle\/Hearst Newspapers \/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Because its platform was designed to be a bomber, the WB-57 is capable of carrying heavy payloads \u2014 up to 8,800 lbs. (4,000 kilograms), according to NASA<\/a>. That gives the jet versatility for conducting scientific experiments, such as studying solar eclipses<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In April 2024, a NASA WB-57 flew into the path of the sun<\/a> to study the corona<\/a>, its outer atmosphere. By doing so, the jet was able to experience over six minutes of totality, 25% more than anyone on the ground got to see. The jet carried a high-resolution, high-speed camera that measured the sun’s corona in wavelengths ranging from infrared to visible light.<\/p>\n