Message posted by Ben W on November 13, 2014 at 12:30:34 PST:

The latest reports here in the UK point towards a malfunction or failure in the feathering system. The fuel tanks and engines were found intact with no signs of fire or explosion.

The feathering system works by turning the upright tailplanes and behaving almost like feathers on a shuttle cock, pushing the aircraft into the correct, nose down orientation for descent. It seems as though one of the pilots unlocked the system but did not deploy it. As the aircraft hit just over mach 1, it appears the system deployed anyway. I'd imagine that the stress on the airframe would have been immense and effectively tore it apart in mid air.

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/nov/12/virgin-galactic-pilot-peter-siebold-spacecraft

In Reply to: Virgin Galactic Crash: what do we actually know posted by Brian L on November 01, 2014 at 6:40:37 PST:

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