NASA Plane Touches Down Without Gear, Flames Erupt

A NASA WB‑57 research aircraft made an emergency belly landing at Ellington Field in southeast Houston, Texas, on the evening of January 27, 2026, after its landing gear failed to deploy. Plumes of orange flame and white smoke erupted as the 9‑meter‑long aircraft slid across the runway, with pilots reporting a mechanical issue that investigators are examining. All six crew members – two pilots and four support personnel – were unharmed. Local fire‑trucks and NASA emergency responders arrived quickly; the plane's cockpit hatch was opened and the black nose was surrounded by standby vehicles. The incident is the first known land‑gear‑free touchdown for a NASA WB‑57, a high‑altitude research plane that can fly above 63,000 ft.