Summary:
The pilot of a spaceship that crashed in California last month was unaware the feathering mechanism was in place when he was killed, the NTSB has said.

Full article:
(CNN) -- The surviving pilot of Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo told authorities he was unaware the feather system had been unlocked early by his co-pilot. The spaceship disintegrated 45,000 feet above the Mojave Desert on October 31, killing co-pilot Michael Tyner Alsbury and injuring co-pilot Peter Siebold, who managed to parachute to the ground. Siebold was interviewed last week by the National Transportation Safety Board. He described being "extracted from the vehicle as a result of the break-up sequence and unbuckled from his seat at some point before the parachute deployed automatically," according to a release from the NTSB. Earlier this month, the NTSB tweeted that Alsbury "moved the lock/unlock handle into unlock position." ...the copilot, who was in right seat, moved the lock/unlock handle into unlock position; he did not survive accident. #SpaceShipTwo . But that mishap alone doesn't explain why the feathering started, since no one moved the feathering handle. During feathering, two pieces on the back of the vehicle -- the "feathers" -- lift up perpendicular to the spaceship, making the vehicle look as though it's arching its back as it descends. The wreckage has been recovered and will be used for follow-up examinations. Test pilot's workplace a cold, harsh environment .