Page:CAB Accident Report, TWA Flight 891.pdf/32

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Part of the carrying structure of the landing gear was still in its housing, with the landing gear attached to it. In general, all the structural parts ahead of the back spar were twisted and broken into small pieces.

Outward from station No. h37.S., that is, toward the tip, the wing was broken into several parts.

Many of these parts (including the aileron, which was broken into four pieces and torn from its fastenings) were recovered in the unediate Vicinity of the fuselage and were found to be free from damage from fire, since they were lying beyond the zone where the fire broke out following the crash. Some small panels of wing covering became detached in flight and fell, down course from the main wreckage, in the town of Olgiate Olona.

The wing tip and its counterweight became detached prior to the impact with the ground and was found near the fuselage. The landing gear was found in the "lowered" position (see par. 11.2.3.5. - "Hydraulic system").

11.2.3.h Tail assembly

The entire assembly became separated from the plane, in flight at a point beyond the pressurization bulkhead and fell on a fencmg wall, coming to rest upside down on the wall. It suffered cuneiderable damage from the impact.

Five pieces of the two elevators, the lower part of the left rudder, and part of the terminal stern cone and fairing were found in other places distant from the tail assembly, which indicates that these parts broke off while the plane was still in the air.

The exammation of the breakage area of the tail asemb1y failed to disclose any trace of metal fatigue and showed that the assembly became separated from the end of the fuselage ‘ as a result of static overloads, directed to the left and downwards. Extensive and evident traces and signs of lappitg flames and Smoke deposits were distributed continuously and “m a longitudinal and transvereal direction, on several areas of the stabilizers, elevators, and rudders; particularly, the de-icer sheathing of the stabiliser's leading edge showed evidence of searing. This circumstance showed that the tail assembly was structurally in its preper when, during flight, a fire broke out on the front part of the plane; specifically, it showed that the fire enveloped the tail assembly from its right aide.

11.2.3.5. Installations and eygment on the plane

A thorough exam1nation was made of all the plane' 3 installations and equipment in order to establish whether they had suffered