Fuselage of de Havilland Comet Airliner G-ALYP
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| Fuselage of de Havilland Comet airliner G-ALYP | |
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| Manufacturer | (Unknown) |
| Production years | 1950 |
| Production location | (unknown) |
The Havilland Comet airliner G-ALYP aircraft crashed soon after leaving Rome airport. This section was recovered from the sea bed in a painstaking search, and shows the metal fatigue cracks around the aircraft radio direction finder (RDF) hatch that caused the accident.
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[edit] How it works
Sections of aircraft were brought up from the crash site; scientists painstakingly reassembled most the airframe on a wooden support. This allowed them to piece together what had happened. The original plan was to glue the metal parts together with very strong glue, but at the last minute they decided to rivet the metal parts together as well. The holes where the rivets went through weakened the metal and metal fatigue caused cracks to appear, then the plane broke up.
The inquiry also made a small model of the Comet airliner which demonstrated how the aeroplane broke up. This is also on display.
[edit] Memories
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Do you remember Comet airliners? Add your memories. |
The holes for the rivets were punched and not drilled, this was the ultimate cause.
— anon
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[edit] In the Science Museum
The Museum acquired this object in 1993 from DRA. The object's inventory number is 1993-2155.
Audio Tour Call 020 7112 2020 when Prompted dial 902
This object is currently on display in the Dan Dare & the Birth of Hi-Tech Britain exhibition at the Science Museum, London.