What caused BOAC flight 781 crash?
What caused BOAC flight 781 crash?
The failure was a result of metal fatigue caused by the repeated pressurisation and de-pressurisation of the aircraft cabin. Another fact was that the supports around the windows were riveted, not glued, as the original specifications for the aircraft had called for.
Why did De Havilland Comet Crash?
The cause of the two planes breaking up in mid-flight was found. It was metal fatigue, exacerbated by the squarish window design. Engineers redesigned the structure of the plane, including adding rounded off windows, for what became the Comet 2, and that was the end of that issue.
What was wrong with the Comet aircraft?
The aircraft plunged into a dry drainage canal and collided with an embankment, killing all five crew and six passengers on board. The accident was the first fatal jetliner crash. In response, Canadian Pacific cancelled its remaining order for a second Comet 1A and never operated the type in commercial service.
Are there any de Havilland Comets still flying?
de Havilland built the last Comet in 1964. One year later, BOAC retired all of its Comets, as it just had no place in their fleet. Dan-Air used the aircraft until 1980 when it also retired the aircraft. March 14th, 1997 British ministry of Technology performed the last documented flight of the de Havilland Comet.
How fast was the Comet plane?
The story of Britain’s de Havilland Comet, the world’s first jet airliner, which heralded a new age of flying. The Comet’s top speed was an extraordinary 500mph, far faster than designs based on lumbering World War Two bombers could achieve.
What happened to Havilland?
De Havilland was purchased by Hawker Siddeley in 1960 and merged into British Aerospace in 1978. The BAE site then closed in 1993, and the University of Hertfordshire purchased part of the site for the de Havilland Campus.
Why did the Comet fail?
After months of research with a prototype aircraft, the investigative committee found that the two crashes had been caused by a design flaw with the Comet that led to it breaking apart mid-flight. The issues were a combination of incorrect construction techniques and the fact that the airliner used square windows.
When was the last de Havilland Comet flight?
The de Havilland Comet was the world’s first commercial passenger jet aircraft. The Comet made the first commercial journey by a jet aircraft on 2 May 1952. The last civil Comet to fly was our Comet 4C, G-BDIX on her journey to East Fortune in September 1981.
What engines did the comet have?
The aircraft was powered by four Ghost turbojet engines built by the de Havilland Engine Company Limited.
Was Olivia de Havilland related to de Havilland aircraft?
The actresses Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine were de Havilland’s cousins; his father, Charles, and their father, Walter, were half-brothers. His younger brother, Hereward de Havilland, was also a noted pioneer aviator and test pilot.
Is De Havilland a Canadian company?
De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Ltd. is an aircraft manufacturer with facilities based in the Downsview area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In the 1980s, the government of Canada under Prime Minister Brian Mulroney privatized DHC and in 1986 sold the aircraft company to then Seattle-based Boeing. …
What engines did the Comet have?
