The surviving pilot from Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo ejected as the space plane broke apart and crashed Oct. 31. Pilot Peter Siebold somehow managed to unbuckle his seat straps right before his parachute deployed automatically.

The test flight crash in the Mojave Desert some 150 kilometers from Los Angeles is being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board. During the flight, Siebold was apparently unaware co-pilot Mike Alsbury had unlocked the spacecraft's moveable tail section. This action led to a chain of events that triggered the craft's destruction.

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Alsbury was killed in the crash. Authorities found his body among the aircraft's wreckage.

The latest findings from the safety agency details how incredible were the circumstances that led to Siebold's survival. From an altitude of about 50,000 feet, virtually without any oxygen, his seat broke away from the ship as he fell from the sky. It's still unclear if he was conscious the whole time during the ordeal.

Siebold sustained a shoulder injury from the fall. He was released from the hospital a few days after the crash. Siebld was then interviewed by investigators last Friday.

According to the NSTB, Siebold recalls being thrown outside the space plane. At some point as he fell, he unbuckled his seatbelt, causing his parachute to deploy automatically. Siebold said he unbuckled himself while falling.

SpaceShipTwo crashed just moments after separating from its mother ship, WhiteKnightTwo.

Officials said it's still unclear why Alsbury unlocked the tail section earlier than expected. The tail is specifically designed to rotate upward during atmospheric re-entry to make it easier for the craft to descend.

Unfortunately, Albury didn't wait for the ship to reach a speed of 1.4 times the speed of sound so that aerodynamic forces held the tail in place. The NSTB is still investigating the crash. Its final report is expected to be released next year.

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