de Havilland Comet

The de Havilland Comet was the world's first commercial jet airliner, entering service with BOAC in 1952 and ushering in the jet age of air travel. Its sleek design and pressurized cabin offered a revolutionary passenger experience. Tragically, three Comet 1s disintegrated in flight in 1953-54 due to metal fatigue caused by the square-shaped windows, grounding the fleet and leading to the most important air accident investigation in history. The resulting understanding of metal fatigue transformed aircraft design forever. The redesigned Comet 4 entered service in 1958, but Boeing's 707 had overtaken it commercially. Despite its tragic history, the Comet's contribution to aviation knowledge was invaluable.