VSS Enterprise crash
The VSS Enterprise crash occurred on October 31, 2014, when the VSS Enterprise, a SpaceShipTwo experimental spaceflight test vehicle operated by Virgin Galactic, suffered a catastrophic in-flight breakup during a test flight and crashed in the Mojave Desert near Cantil, California. Co-pilot Michael Alsbury was killed and pilot Peter Siebold was seriously injured.
VSS Enterprise, the spacecraft involved in the accident, attached to its mothership, VMS Eve | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | October 31, 2014 |
| Summary | In-flight break-up caused by design flaw and pilot error |
| Site | Mojave Desert, California, United States |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Scaled Composites Model 339 SpaceShipTwo |
| Aircraft name | VSS Enterprise |
| Operator | Virgin Galactic |
| Registration | N339SS |
| Flight origin | Mojave Air and Space Port, California, United States |
| Destination | Mojave Air and Space Port |
| Occupants | 2 |
| Crew | 2 |
| Fatalities | 1 |
| Injuries | 1 |
| Survivors | 1 |
The National Transportation Safety Board later concluded that the breakup was caused by Alsbury's premature unlocking of the air brake device used for atmospheric re-entry. The NTSB said other important factors in the accident were inadequate design safeguards, poor pilot training and lack of rigorous oversight by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
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