Video shows NASA aircraft making a belly landing in Houston and the pilot's skill is award-worthy

Footage shows a NASA aircraft coming into Houston for a belly landing in an award-worthy demonstration of the pilot’s skills.

The WB-57’s emergency landing took place at Ellington Field Airport on January 27, and occurred to due a reported mechanical issue.

While that sounds like a scary situation to be in, this pilot handled the landing masterfully.

That’s not to say it was an ideal landing scenario – the smoke billowing off the runway speak for themselves.

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This NASA aircraft came in for landing at Houston and it’s a remarkable display

Despite the theatrical landing, in which flames and smoke flew up behind the plane, nobody was injured in the landing.

“Today, a mechanical issue with one of NASA’s WB-57s resulted in a gear-up landing at Ellington Field,” NASA spokesperson Bethany Stevens wrote on social media.

“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.”

Footage shared by local news channel KHOU 11 showed the heart-stopping moment the aircraft made contact with the ground.

And we’re being literally when we say that – a trail of sparks was left in the plane’s wake, as it came to a stop.

Two pilots were reportedly onboard at the time.

Jim Szczesniak, Director of Aviation for Houston Airports, said: “Around 11:30 a.m. today, a NASA aircraft had an issue upon landing on Runway 17R-35L at Ellington Airport (EFD).

“First responders with a military subcontractor are responding to the incident. The runway is closed until the aircraft can be removed.”

The WB-57 is a long-range aircraft are primarily used for military, NASA, and general aviation operations.

It’s capable of carrying up to 8,800Ibs of payload and can reach altitudes higher than 60,000 feet.

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It takes a lot of skill to be a pilot

People often say ‘It’s like riding a bike’, when they want to play up how easy a certain task is.

It’s the exact opposite with flying a plane.

If you can fly a plane, there’s not much you can’t do, in our book.

And we’ve seen pilots demonstrate their skills time and time again.

There was the time a pilot had hone in skills to park a giant Boeing 777 into a tight spot.

Or how about the time that a Boeing 747 pilot nailed this landing in the midst of 45mph crosswind?

They pay pilots the big bucks for a reason.

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