NASA plane landed belly down amid reports of ‘mechanical issue’ at Ellington Field in Houston, spokesperson says

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — First responders are at Ellington Field Airport after a video showed the moment an aircraft landed belly down, causing massive sparks along the runway on Tuesday afternoon, according to Houston Airport officials.

According to a statement from Jim Szczesniak, the director of aviation for Houston Airports, at about 11:30 a.m., a NASA aircraft had an issue upon landing on the runway.

Szczesniak said first responders with military subcontractors are responding to the incident, and the runway is closed until the aircraft can be removed.

In a post on social media, NASA spokesperson Bethany Stevens shared that there was a mechanical issue that resulted in a gear-up landing.

“Response to the incident is ongoing, and all crew are safe at this time. As with any incident, a thorough investigation will be conducted by NASA into the cause,” Stevens said.

SkyEye was over the scene as multiple crews surrounded the aircraft.