Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) experiments have been carried out on double-cantilever-beam (DCB) specimens of 7017-T651 aluminium alloy. The specimens were first subjected to a known compressive load which caused plastic deformation at the notch tip. On unloading, this region developed a residual tensile stress field and on subsequent exposure to moist air at 40° C (95% relative humidity, r.h.), intergranular cracks formed. These cracks grew at a decelerating rate until they stopped. The final crack length increased with the value of the initial compressive preload, provided this was below the value for general yielding of the alloy. Electron fractography has been used to correlate changes in surface morphology with crack growth rate. It was found that ductile tearing of the notch tip may occur during unloading when the compression exceeds — 30kN. The practical importance of these results is outlined.