Scaled Composites 339 accident near Koehn Dry Lake, California, October 31, 2014
On October 31, 2014 at about 5:07 pm local time, a 2010 Scaled Composites 339 (rocket), registered N339SS, was destroyed in an accident near Koehn Dry Lake, California. 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
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.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 31, 2014 · about 5:07 pm local time
- Place
- Koehn Dry Lake, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Scaled Composites 339, built 2010
- Registration
- N339SS · no longer on the register · serial 01
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight · rules code 437
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
NTSB investigators traveled in support of this investigation and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aerospace accident report. The Safety Board's full report is available at http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Pages/AccidentReports.aspx. The Aerospace Accident Report number is NTSB/AAR-15/02. On October 31, 2014, at 1007:32 Pacific daylight time, the SpaceShipTwo (SS2) reusable suborbital rocket, N339SS, operated by Scaled Composites LLC (Scaled), broke up into multiple pieces during a rocket-powered test flight and impacted terrain over a 5-mile area near Koehn Dry Lake, California. The pilot received serious injuries, and the copilot received fatal injuries. SS2 was destroyed, and no one on the ground was injured as a result of the falling debris. SS2 had been released from its launch vehicle, WhiteKnightTwo (WK2), N348MS, about 13 seconds before the structural breakup. Scaled was operating SS2 under an experimental permit issued by the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Office of Commercial Space Transportation (AST) according to the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 437.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Loss of control in flight defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Organizational issues › Development › Design › Equipment design › Manufacturer
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action selection › Copilot
- Environmental issues › Task environment › Pressures/demands › Time/schedule pressure › Effect on personnel
- Organizational issues › Support/oversight/monitoring › Oversight › Oversight of reg compliance › FAA/Regulator
- Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Training › Training with equipment › Flight crew
- Organizational issues › Management › Resources › (general) › Manufacturer
- Organizational issues › Management › Resources › (general) › Emergency services
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,980 hours in all; 48 in this make and model; 44 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 2,550 as pilot in command; 526 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,154 hours in all; 30 in this make and model; 42 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 1,964 as pilot in command; 188 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6.1 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, October 1, 2014
- Maximum gross weight: 27,217 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Scaled Composites RM2-20A001 (hr); 0 hours total
- Operator: Scaled Composites LLC
The flight
- Departed from: MHV Mojave CA at 4:19 pm
- Destination: MHV Mojave CA
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.