What happened
While operating at 19,000 feet on a flight departing from London-Heathrow bound for Salzburg, the Vickers Vanguard experienced a sudden rupture in its rear pressure bulkhead. This failure triggered an explosive decompression within the fuselage, resulting in significant internal damage and severe structural distortion to the upper tailplane skin attachments. Following this event, the tail surfaces became detached from the airframe, causing the aircraft to enter a steep, uncontrolled dive. The plane spiraled toward the ground and ultimately crashed into a field situated adjacent to a highway.
Findings
An investigation into the wreckage revealed that corrosion had developed in the lower section of the rear pressure bulkhead, specifically beneath plating that was bonded to the structural component. Investigators discovered that the bond in this area had completely delaminated, leaving the bulkhead material heavily degraded by the corrosive process. It is believed that fluid contamination, potentially originating from the lavatory systems, served as the primary driver for the corrosion that weakened the structure.