The accident involving Virgin Galactic's space tourism vehicle SpaceShipTwo (SS2) last month has resulted in the death of the spacecraft's co-pilot Mike Alsbury.
The other pilot aboard the ill-fated SS2, Peter Siebold, however, has survived albeit he had to be brought for treatment to the hospital. The 43-year old pilot is lucky to have survived and investigations suggest it was a miraculous escape.
On Wednesday, officials said that Siebold was thrown from the SS2 when it broke apart during a test flight in Southern California on Oct. 31, and he managed to unbuckle from his seat before his parachute automatically deployed.
Findings made by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which is probing the crash, revealed that Siebold's seat broke free from the rocket-powered ship after which he fell down from a height of about 50,000 feet, which is twice the height of Mount Everest and where there is virtually no oxygen.
It remains unclear though whether he lost and regained his consciousness during his fall or he remained conscious as he fell at a speed of 600 miles per hour wearing no spacesuit and exposed to air estimated to be at least -70 degrees Fahrenheit.
Given the circumstances of the accident, Siebold is fortunate he did not sustain life-threatening injuries. Although he had a shoulder injury and had to be placed under medical care, he was released from the hospital a few days after his near-death experience.
NTSB investigators interviewed Siebold on Friday and in a statement described how the pilot escaped death during the crash. Siebold told operations and human performance investigators of the agency that he was unaware that his co-pilot unlocked the feather system early and that he was ejected from SS2 due to break-up sequence. Prior to the deployment of the parachute, the pilot was also able to unbuckle from his seat.
"His description of the vehicle motion was consistent with other data sources in the investigation," the NTSB said in a statement. "He stated that he was 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."
Investigators are trying to find out whether Alsbury's position in the spacecraft has something to do why he did not survive the crash.
NTSB's statement is an update on their investigation on the SS2 crash. The probe is still ongoing and it may take up to a year before the final report becomes available.
