Covid regulations proved fatal for a 1918 biplane. They greatly accelerated inevitable chemical reactions between the skin and the paint, Italian researchers report in Scientific Reports.

The aircraft in question is an Ansaldo A.1 Balilla (pictured) from the Caproni Aviation Museum near Trento, once flown by Natale Palli. Almost all the other aircraft from that era have been thoroughly restored, but this one is still in its original condition. It is also a work of art: the fuselage is decorated with a large portrait of St George and the Dragon, painted especially for Palli by the later famous artist Amos Nattini.

In recent years, the museum piece has deteriorated remarkably fast. The fuselage is mainly made of plywood, but the wings and the tail are wooden frames covered with fabric, and more and more holes are appearing in the fabric. At the end of 2020, Jacopo La Nasa and colleagues from the University of Pisa therefore launched an investigation into the chemistry behind this deterioration.