Investigators have said that the pilot who survived the Virgin Galactic spaceship crash was “thrown free” as the craft broke around him.
Peter Siebold, who was interviewed by a team from the US National Transportation Safety Board about the crash, said that he parachuted clear as the spacecraft exploded over California’s Mojave Desert on October 31, reported the BBC.
He added that he was unaware that his co-pilot, Michael Alsbury , had unlocked the descent braking system prematurely.
The NTSB had earlier said that the craft broke apart seconds after its rocket engine was ignited and the “feathering” system had been unlocked.
The investigators will take at least a year to compile their report.
The spacecraft went down during its 35th test flight killing Alsbury and injuring Siebold.
Virgin had hoped to launch commercially in 2015 and had already taken about 700 flight bookings at 250,000 dollars each.
—ANI