For the third time in less than two months, researchers at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, have sent a small aircraft plummeting to the ground in a drop test meant to simulate a severe, but survivable crash.
The 1974 Cessna 172 plunged 100 feet, a little over 30 metres, into a pile of dirt. The data from the test will specifically provide guidance on the installation of emergency locator transmitters so they’re more likely to work after a crash.
