Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo crash was due to co-pilot error
After nearly 9 months of investigation, the National Transportation Safety Board has an official explanation for Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo crash. As suspected, the accident happened when the co-pilot triggered the “feathering” system (moving the tail wings to increase drag for reentry) well below the intended Mach 1.4 speed — the premature resistance led to the suborbital craft breaking up and plummeting into the Mojave Desert. More details are forthcoming, but Virgin Galactic says that it welcomes the findings. Hopefully, the lessons learned prevent future accidents and keep private spaceflight on track.
[Image credit: AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu]
We thank the @NTSB for their professionalism, expertise, and insight, and we welcome the results of their investigation.
– Virgin Galactic (@virgingalactic) July 28, 2015
Filed under: Transportation
Source: Virgin Galactic (Twitter), NTSB
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