Whilst we are all very greatful to the skill of the crew & the manufacturing techniques of Boeing for bringing this one home, I can only wonder at what they would have made of this if, in fact, it went into the drink.
Would anyone have ever determined the cause of this incident if they couldn't see it with their own eyes, or pieced it all together. I'm thinking of how many Comets were lost before a cause was determined (granted, the relativity of the events & the time), at least this has given us insight into another potentially dangerous piece of equipment that was previously considered innocuous.