Universe Today
10:07:19: SpaceShipTwo is released from the carrier craft, WhiteKnightTwo 10:07:21 SpaceShipTwo’s engine starts 10:07:29 SpaceShipTwo reaches mach 0.94 10:07:31: SpaceShipTwo exceeds the speed of sound – mach 1.02. Between 10:07:29 and 10:07:31, the feathering safety was unlocked.
10:0 7:34: All telemetry was lost
Q. Had the pilot been interviewed? A. Not yet and not until he is fit to be interviewed. Q. Was the Flight Card reviewed? A. The NTSB has reviewed the flight card for procedures and constraints. According to Hart, the card stated not to release the safety lock of the feathering mechanism until mach 1.4. The Flight Card describes the steps that a flight crew is to take to complete a successful mission. Q/A. Hart confirmed that 2 pilot actions were necessary for feathering. 1) Unlock the safety, and 2) engage feathering lever. U.T. - Hart could not say if both pilots were necessary, that is, shared the two step process. Q/A. A reporter contentiously asked Hart who was in the right seat. Hart stated that he did not know and also was unwilling to assume that it was the co-pilot, Alsbury. The reporter probing him further asked about his statements from Sunday. Hart agreed that he was mistaken to have assumed on Sunday that it was the copilot.