Board Says Pilots Were 'Not Adequately Trained' On Feather Lock System

The NTSB has released its probable cause report from the SpaceShipTwo accident last October 31 that resulted in the fatal injury of one pilot and which seriously injured the second.

In a meeting Tuesday morning, the board stated that the probable cause was the "copilot’s unlocking of SpaceShipTwo’s feather locks.”  The board also said that the pilots were not adequately trained to deal with problems with the feather locking system, and that the system was not designed to prevent the feather from being unlocked prematurely, according to a report from television station KTLA.

Copilot Michael Alsbury, who the board said unlocked the feather mechanism early, was fatally injured. Pilot Peter Siebold survived when he was ejected from the spacecraft as it broke apart.

In the meeting, NTSB Chair Christopher Hart said “We cannot undo what happened, but it is our hope that through this investigation we will find ways to prevent this from happening again. We are not a regulator and have no power to require changes. We make safety recommendations, which if acted upon can help prevent recurrences.”

The board also released the accident docket during the meeting.

(Images from accident docket)

FMI: Accident Docket