On Nov 3, 2014, at 6:59 AM, Kurt Feltenberger <xxxxxx@thepaw.org> wrote:

>
> The NTSB's preliminary investigation is pointing at the feathering system being activated early and that it was pilot error.
>
> http://www.voanews.com/content/ntsb-descent-system-of-crashed-virgin-spacecraft-activated-early/2505720.html

Or that it was a measure to slow the aircraft due to some as yet unknown issue. Or the control is badly placed for an aircraft undergoing radical attitude changes and the copilots hand hit it.  Or the control managed to activate itself, as the entire craft is FBW.

As the the NTSB chair said immediately afterwards:

"Again I want to emphasize that we have not determined the cause. I am not stating that this is the cause of this mishap," Hart said.

Note that much of the immediate finger pointing was aimed at the new rocket formulation, complete with experts claiming they'd warned Virgin about the dangers of their fuel and oxidizer combination, and they hadn't heeded the warnings...

"Hart said the ship's engine and propellant tanks were found intact, indicting there was no explosion."

--
Bruce Johnson

"Wherever you go, there you are." B. Banzai, PhD