A large airliner emits a huge roar as seen in this footage below published by 三立iNEWS as it flies over Kenting villages and towns, with its metal-roofed houses visible to the naked eye, just a bit higher than the water towers. For a moment, it seemed as if the plane was going to make an emergency landing. Such a large aircraft appeared so far above, yet it felt so close to the ground.
NASA’s aircraft’s first stop was in Hengchun, and the second stop was in Tainan.
The Ministry of Environment issued a press release to clarify that the aircraft flying so low belongs to NASA, and it is because they are monitoring air quality. On the 15th, there were two planes in total. The low-flying aircraft that everyone saw took off from the Philippines and continuously circled back and forth between Hengchun Airport in the south and Changhua and Yunlin to collect data. The other plane took off from the Philippines to Korea, circled around the southern part of Taiwan on its way, and finally exited to the sea from Hualien.
Nasa817 flight route over Taiwan
: Many people captured images showing the wheels of the aircraft already lowered, very close to the airport runway, sparking discussions about whether it was going to make an emergency landing. In fact, this was due to being too close to the ground, based on considerations of aviation safety. Military experts also pointed out that there should be confidence in Taiwan’s military equipment.
The Environmental Protection Department, along with various departments and academic units, initiated a high-frequency, low-altitude air quality experiment. The participation of NASA’s scientific research aircraft, not only an international event but also resembling a low-altitude sprint, thrilled aviation enthusiasts.