NASA just crashed a plane in the name of science and engineering.
The space agency dropped a Cessna 172 from 100 feet to test five commercially available emergency locator transmitters (ELTs) designed to help track planes in emergency situations.
The Cessna dropped into soil and flipped over on Wednesday, marking the third of three tests with different Cessna 172 planes that have taken place at NASA's Langley Research Center in Virginia.
The plane wasn't carrying anyone inside it, except for a couple crash test dummies, and the crash was simulated to be "severe but survivable," NASA said.
"ELTs have to work in the extreme circumstances involved in an airplane crash. Included in those extreme circumstances are the possibilities of excessive vibration, fire and impact damage," NASA said in a statement before the test.
"NASA research is designed to find practical ways to improve ELT system performance and robustness, giving rescue workers the best chance of saving lives."