The study presents results of experimental examination of a model representing a fragment of an aircraft wing structure with the skin made of a glass fibre/epoxy composite. For such a system, the deformation pattern has been found and the representative equilibrium path determined. The finite element method has been used to develop the corresponding numerical model, the correctness of which has been then verified by comparing the obtained results with the course of the relevant experiment. Conformity of the results allowed one to determine usefulness of the applied methods in the assessment of mechanical properties of modified solutions involving integral skin stiffening elements.