Comet: A Great British Air Disaster

The De Havilland Comet was the world’s first ever passenger jet airliner, travelling faster than any of its rivals – it was the Concorde of its day and a feat of post-war British engineering. In its first year, it carried Queen Elizabeth II, as well as another 30,000 passengers, to a variety of long-distance destinations.

But shockingly, just five months after the first Comet flew, it suffered its first major accident in Italy – writing off the aircraft but fortunately only injuring its passengers. This set a gloomy precedent for another four major disasters resulting in numerous fatalities.

This fascinating documentary reveals the truth behind the series of horrific accidents, using never before seen archive, new analysis of the original accident reports and access to BAE Systems company archives.