Video of the crash embedded below
The plane crash took place on April 27 and it marks the first time in 30 years that a passenger plane was intentionally crashed for a scientific experiment, Fox News says
The plane crash was staged for a Discovery Channel and Channel 4 documentary
, and cameras were positioned in the plane and on the ground.
The plane was filled with crash test dummies and the pilot ejected before making impact. The 727 touched down on the ground by remote control.
The cameras captured the crash from several angles, all of which will be broadcast on the Discovery Channel's show Curiosity
show later this year.
the aim of the crash was to "recreate a serious, but survivable, passenger jet crash landing with a real aircraft."
"This groundbreaking project features an actual crash of a passenger jet and explores the big questions about how to make plane crashes more survivable," Discovery's president Eileen O'Neill said.
According to the Australian
, Discovery says an extensive environmental cleanup will be done and the aircraft will be salvaged.
The last intentional plane crash took place in 1984 in California's Mojave Desert, where NASA and the FAA crashed a Boeing 720.