# NTSB Accident DCA15MA019
> **SCALED COMPOSITES 339** · 2014-10-31 · Koehn Dry Lake, CA, USA · FATL
## Event
- **NTSB number:** DCA15MA019
- **Event ID:** 20141031X74653
- **Type:** Accident
- **Date:** 2014-10-31
- **Location:** Koehn Dry Lake, CA, USA
- **Coordinates:** 35.326389, -117.944725
## Injuries
- **Highest injury:** FATL
- **Fatal:** 1
- **Serious:** 1
- **Minor:** 0
- **Uninjured:** 0
- **Total aboard:** 2
## Aircraft
- **Make:** SCALED COMPOSITES
- **Model:** 339
- **Registration:** N339SS
- **FAR Part:** 437
- **Engines:** 1
- **Damage:** DEST
## Conditions
- **Light:** DAYL
- **Weather:** VMC
## Probable cause

Scaled Composites' failure to consider and protect against the possibility that a single human error could result in a catastrophic hazard to the SpaceShipTwo vehicle. This failure set the stage for the copilot's premature unlocking of the feather system as a result of time pressure and vibration and loads that he had not recently experienced, which led to uncommanded feather extension and the subsequent aerodynamic overload and in-flight breakup of the vehicle.

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*Source: [NTSB CAROL](https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-main-public/basic-search?source=ntsb&type=event&ntsb_number=DCA15MA019) · AI Analytics · CC0 1.0*