Story of an ashtray

[B52STRATO 215]

'What a stupid topic title' you should think about right now. I could not agree more with you, but this ashtray below got a little story :

 

 

My dad sent me this picture today. About three years ago I posted photos taken at Le Bourget 73' airshow where we could some pictures of the Tupolev Tu-144S CCCP-77102 before its crash. It is this one that is represented here (alas with Kolesov RD-36 instead of Kuznetsov NK-144F).

 

Now if you look at this strange piece laying on the model support, it is one of the armrest ashtrays from the 1st class that was on the aircraft. My grandfather was at this time still in the French Gendarmerie, its men and him were sent at Goussainville and he recovered it on the crash site a few minutes after the accident.

He told me later that the time they arrived on the site and already a lot of debris and parts were taken away, including the pitot tube which had to be later redeemed by the investigating board.

[exhausted 55]

That's incredible. Thanks for the post and the picture.

[Skyviper 1,101]

I agree