The rise and fall of the Havilland Comet, the first jet-powered commercial aircraft that went from innovation to tragedy

In the early 1950s, commercial aviation was in its infancy. At that time, airplanes like the Boeing 377 Stratocruiserhe Douglas DC-6 and the Convair CV-240. These three copies, despite their marked differences, had some characteristics in common: they worked with propeller enginesThey flew at low altitudes and did not stand out for providing great comfort to the passengers.

This changed drastically with the advent of Havilland Comet. This plane knocked on the door of commercial aviation with a futuristic and irresistible proposal. Passengers would travel comfortably in an elegant piece of pressurized aluminum whose arrow-shaped wings would subtly hide its four jet engines. In addition, they could enjoy unique views thanks to their huge rectangular windows.

Maiden flight and problems

After several years of development and exhaustive test flights, as a new aircraft category was inaugurating, the Havilland Comet made its first commercial flight with BOAC on May 2, 1952. It was a journey with several stops between London and Johannesburg. At that time everything went perfectly. After almost a day, the passengers arrived at their destination and were delighted with the plane.

As BAE Systems points out, the Comet was 28.3 meters long, and had approximately 36 seats (airlines could set their own configurations, with more or fewer seats) that reclined and gave passengers more space and comfort. Inside there were also amenities such as the ability to order hot or cold food and drinks and even individual toilets.

The work of the British manufacturer Havilland, which at that time already had more than three decades of history, seemed to be paying off. While BOAC added new commercial routes, other airlines that wanted to be part of the high-speed, pressurized flight phenomenon were ordering their own Havilland Comets. Problems, however, began to present themselves quickly.

Two years after the maiden flight, on October 26, 1952, a BOAC Comet that had left Beirut and headed for London skidded off the runway during one of its stops in Rome, according to Aviation Safety. As a result of the incident, the plane lost part of the landing gear and the fuel tank, although a fire did not break out and none of the 35 passengers on board or crew members were injured.

On March 13, 1953, a problem with similar characteristics reappeared on the scene, only this time things were worse. A unit of Canadian Pacific Airlines failed to take off from Karachi, Pakistan, and was engulfed in flames after hitting an embankment. Its five crew members and six passengers on board died in what would be the plane’s second accident and the first with fatal characteristics.

more accidents

The Flight Safety Foundation data they also collect other Comet accidents. On May 2, 1953, one of these planes crashed after taking off from Delhi, India, killing all 43 people on board. On January 10, 1954, communications from a Comet with the control tower were interrupted due to weather conditions and the wreckage of the plane was later found near the island of Elba.

For some as yet unknown reason, the new titan of the skies was having serious problems, leading to mistrust among pilots, airlines and regulators. This forced the manufacturer to redesign the instructables for pilots and make some design tweaks. Despite the accidents, with these modifications the Comet continued to fly, until on April 8, 1954, one of these exploded in mid-flight.

That accident was the beginning of the end of the Comet series. The original model was completely retired and the manufacturer, over the years, released three revised versions, although they also suffered several serious accidents. However, sales did not recover and the efforts of this British company became financially unsustainable, so the project gradually lost its splendor.

The supposed origin of the problems

According to the teacher of mechanical engineering from the University of Houston, John H. Lienhard, the research tasks did not find structural failures in initially, although they did later. After the third accident, a more thorough investigation shed light on what was happening. The Comet suffered from material fatigue, which manifested itself as cracks in certain parts of the fuselage.

In one of the tests, engineers subjected a Comet to fatigue tests in a real scenario. After several attempts, a crack appeared near one of the cabin windows, which spread rapidly. Havilland apparently did not take into account the high stress concentrations in the rivet holes that were located near the rectangular windows.

Images: Ian DunsterWikimedia Commons | Imperial War Museum | Lars Soderstrom | HM Stationery Office

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