Pilot Takes Off From Belly of Plane Without Landing Gear

Eighty-five-year-old pilot Chris Georgaklis pulled off a breathtaking feat when things didn’t go as planned during a landing.

Georgaklis was coming in for a landing in Fort Pierce, Florida, in his small plane with his dog, Buddy, when he realized he was coming in too fast.  

Watch: Shocked Man Wakes Up in Cargo Hold Mid-Flight Forcing Plane to Land.

He quickly raised the landing gear as the plane descended and began skidding down the runway. He explained,  "I lifted them right up, but it also caused the plane to drop quite a bit, so I'd say the plane dropped maybe six to eight feet.”

Miraculously, he managed to maintain control of the aircraft as it was skidding at 100 miles per hour on its belly. He was able to get the plane to take off again, and flew it with damaged propellers until he could come back in for a landing.

Watch: Why a Mailman Landed His Gyro-Copter on the Lawn of the Capitol.

Georgaklis said, “I was too busy to be scared. I was more busy on what to do to keep it flying."

Follwing his harrowing close call, Georgaklis has decided to retire from flying and will sell his plane for parts, minus the propellers.

Check out the video below of a pilot retracing his nail-biting crash landing on a busy freeway!