Virgin crash probe ‘may take a year’

The investigation into the Virgin Galactic spacecraft crash in California’s Mojave Desert could take about a year, the head of the US transport safety agency has said.

Christopher Hart said Virgin Galactic would be able conduct further test flights while the investigation took place.

SpaceShipTwo broke up in mid-air during a test flight on Friday.

One of the pilots was killed and the other injured.

Virgin chief Sir Richard Branson says he is “determined to find out what went wrong” and learn from the tragedy.

The US National Transportation Safety Board team had completed its first full day of investigation, Mr Hart said, and would be examining evidence at the scene for four to seven days.

He said the craft’s debris was spread over an area measuring five miles from end to end.

He told a news conference the test flight had been “heavily documented” and his team would have to trawl through “extensive data” – which was why the full investigation could take “about 12 months or so”.

However, he added than any discoveries of issues that required “immediate attention” would be communicated to Virgin Galactic.

BBC