The Story Of The Urgent Hunt For The DeHavilland Comet's Fatal Flaw

The catastrophic loss of three Comet airliners in 1953/1954 with the loss of 99 lives caused shockwaves in the 1950s. The Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough was asked to find the causes as a matter of urgency, and brought all its considerable resources to bear to conduct an exhaustive investigation. This 1954 film records the unprecedented investigation from its inception through to the final report. It shows the building of specialised pressure tanks, extensive flying trials and the structural analysis that would ultimately determine the cause of the crashes. The lessons learned from this groundbreaking investigation continue to influence aircraft design today. 0:00 Titles & Intro 2:04 Salvage operation 3:20 Recovery to Farnborough 4:03 The investigation begins 5:26 Fatigue testing 14:53 Reconstruction of accident 21:15 Strength testing 22:58 Control systems 27:49 Structural failure confirmed 30:47 Comet Board of Inquiry conclusions FAST are grateful to QinetiQ plc for allowing us access to this film and to the Heritage Lottery Fund whose donation funded its digitisation. #aviationhistory #dehavilland #comet #farnborough #royalaircraftestablishment #fastmuseum