NASA Pilot Pulls Off the Smoothest No Wheels, No Brakes Landing You’ll Ever See
One morning about a week ago turned into an unexpected aviation nail-biter when a NASA pilot brought a WB-57 aircraft down at Ellington Airport in Houston with the landing gear refusing to deploy.
No wheels, no brakes, and a very long stretch of concrete standing between success and disaster. Somehow, the pilot eased the aircraft onto the runway and slid it to a stop without anyone getting hurt.
Watching the footage, it’s hard not to clench up a bit, but the calm execution is seriously impressive. It helped that the runway was a lot longer than what you see in the clip.
The WB-57, originally known as the Martin B-57 Canberra, has a wild history that makes the moment even cooler. Back in 1951, it became the first jet to cross the Atlantic without refueling, pulling it off in just four hours and 40 minutes.
It later saw heavy use as a bomber during the Vietnam War before finding a second life with NASA. The WB-57 variant can soar as high as 62,000 feet, making it perfect for high-altitude research, near-space sample collection, and observing spacecraft launches.
When the Air Force retired the plane, NASA grabbed the last three still flying in the U.S., and moments like this show exactly why these machines and the people flying them are still so valuable.