Virgin Galactic Craft Design Ignored Pilot Risk, Probe Finds
Debris from Virgin Galactic SpaceShip 2 sits in a desert field Nov. 2, 2014 north of Mojave, Calif. The Virgin Galactic SpaceShip 2 crashed on Oct. 31, 2014 during a test flight, killing one pilot and seriously injuring another
Photographer: Sandy Huffaker/Getty ImagesVirgin Galactic Ltd.’s spacecraft designers failed to anticipate that pilots might trigger its brakes too early, leaving the ship vulnerable to the error that led to last year’s fatal crash, investigators said.
The National Transportation Safety Board focused on pilot training Tuesday in a hearing into the Oct. 31 accident that grounded Richard Branson’s space-tourism venture months before it was to start taking customers to the edge of Earth’s atmosphere. Co-pilot Michael Alsbury was killed when the vehicle was torn apart after he prematurely unlocked a braking mechanism.