The De Havilland Comet
The De Havilland Comet, flown by the British Overseas Airways Corporation. The Comet, the world's first jet airliner, captured the world's imagination when it went into service in May 1952, on routes stretching from London to Johannesburg, Singapore, and Tokyo. But a year to the day after its inaugural run, a Comet blew apart over India, killing all 43 people aboard. In the coming months, two more Comets exploded in mid-air, both over Italy, again killing all aboard. Was it sabotage? Or was the Comet cursed with a mysterious, deadly flaw? Prime Minister Winston Churchill grounded all Comets in the fleet and ordered that "neither money nor manpower" be spared in solving the Comet mystery.
Credit: © BAE SYSTEMS