NASA WB‑57 Research Plane Makes Gear‑Up Belly Landing in Houston

A NASA WB‑57 high‑altitude research aircraft made an emergency belly landing at Ellington Airport southeast of Houston on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026, after a mechanical malfunction prevented its landing gear from deploying. Video posted online shows the twin‑engine jet touching down hard on its fuselage, skidding along the runway as flames and smoke trail behind, before coming to a stop surrounded by fire trucks and emergency crews. NASA said on X that the two‑seat plane’s crew landed at Ellington and "are all safe at this time" and that the mechanical issue will be investigated. Local CBS affiliate KHOU‑TV footage shows the cockpit hatch open and first responders helping the pilot climb out of the aircraft’s nose area. The WB‑57, which can fly beyond 63,000 feet for about 6½ hours and has been used for atmospheric and scientific missions since the 1970s, now faces inspection and repairs as NASA and aviation safety officials assess what went wrong in a high‑profile incident at a busy Houston‑area airfield.