GREAT BRITAIN: Death of the Comet I

A downward column of smoke and a few bits of floating debris last week severely set back the world's bravest post war experiment in civil aviation. One more British Comet, the third of the swift jet liners in less than a year, crumpled in mid-air and plunged into the Tyrrhenian Sea, killing all on board.

Operated by South African Airways, a partner of BOAC, the Comet Yoke Yoke was on its regular scheduled flight from London to Johannesburg. Barely 16 days had elapsed since BOAC lifted the ban that had grounded its Comet fleet following the last fatal crash (TIME,...

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