SpaceShipTwo pilot didn't know device was unlocked By Amanda Watts, CNN November 12, 2014 -- Updated 1843 GMT (0243 HKT) An NTSB team surveys a tail section from the crashed Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo near Cantil, California, on November 1. Peter Siebold talked to NTSB about the October 31 space plane disaster He said he didn't know feathering system had been unlocked by his co-pilot But that doesn't explain why feathering started, which requires moving another handle (CNN) -- The surviving pilot of Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo told authorities he was unaware the feather system had been unlocked early by his co-pilot. The spaceship disintegrated 45,000 feet above the Mojave Desert on October 31, killing co-pilot Michael Tyner Alsbury and injuring co-pilot Peter Siebold, who managed to parachute to the ground. Siebold was interviewed last week by the National Transportation Safety Board. He described being "extracted from the vehicle as a result of the break-up sequence and unbuckled from his seat at some point before the parachute deployed automatically," according to a release from the NTSB. Earlier this month, the NTSB tweeted that Alsbury "moved the lock/unlock handle into unlock position." During feathering, two pieces on the back of the vehicle -- the "feathers" -- lift up perpendicular to the spaceship, making the vehicle look as though it's arching its back as it descends. The wreckage has been recovered and will be used for follow-up examinations.