De Havilland DH.106 Comet

United Arab Airlines

Flight MS844 was a scheduled international flight from Algiers to Cairo with an intermediate stop at Tripoli. Departure on the outbound flight Cairo - Tripoli - Algiers had been delayed 29 hours due to adverse weather conditions along the route. At Algiers, following testing of the systems, the fire warning light of Zone I in n° 3 engine stayed "ON". Local personnel, who were not familiar with Comet aircraft, attempted to rectify the discrepancy and this caused a further delay of nearly 2 1/2 hours. The light eventually extinguished and the pilot-in-command, who had been considering cancellation of the flight and returning to Cairo without passengers, then decided to proceed with the service. There was no evidence that the crew had asked for, or received, a weather forecast before departing Algiers for Tripoli; however, it is possible that a verbal forecast was obtained. The QNH at Algiers was 1011 mb. As the aircraft entered the Tripoli Control Area, the crew was provided with a weather report which included a horizontal visibility of 1000 meters due to sand haze. This was below the minimum authorized by the airline; however, the vertical visibility was unlimited. The pilot-in-command checked Benina weather and then decided to attempt a landing at Tripoli wfth Malta as the alternative: he stated that he had 3 hours 50 minutes endurance. Both Tripoli Control and Tripoli Tower gave him a QNH of 1008 mb, additionally Tripoli Control gave an opinion that visibility was better than 1 000 m, and Tripoli Tower gave an opinion that he could see "3 kilometres". The airport's VOR was not available as it required calibration; the only ground aid available was the ADF facility. Coming from Algiers, the approach over the beacon located 0.6 NM north of Runway 18, the runway in use, involved joining the holding pattern in the opposite direction to the circuit so that a tear drop turn was necessary to re-approach the beacon on the outbound leg on an ADF procedure turn. Shortly after passing the beacon for the first time, the pilot-in-command reported at 3 000 ft. The last message received was when the aircraft was passing the beacon outbound for an ADF approach procedure turn. The altitude was not stated subsequent to entering the holding pattern.The flight path to Runway 18 crossed an expanse of sand dunes 160 ft AMSL rising steeply to 425 ft AMSL and then falling te the runway threshold elevation of 240 ft. The aircraft struck sand dunes at an elevation of 395 ft approximately 7 km before the threshold of the runway. The accident occurred at 01.25 hours GMT. The aircraft was destroyed and all 16 occupants were killed.

Dan-Air London

The crew (pilots and engineers) was engaged in a local training flight at Newcastle Airport. On approach, the crew forgot to lower the gear and the airplane belly landed. It slid for several yards before coming to rest. All 11 occupants escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Dan-Air London

Comet G-APDN departed Manchester at 1608 for a charter flight to Barcelona. ATC delays in the Paris area resulted in a different route to be flown. At 1753LT the pilot contacted Barcelona ACC. The aircraft was then cleared to descend from FL220 to FL90. At 1759LT the flight switched to Barcelona Approach. Barcelona Approach cleared the crew direct to the Sabadell beacon and cleared them to descend to FL60. While carrying out a left turn to a heading of 140°, as instructed by Barcelona Approach, the crew mistakenly reported passing the Sabadell NDB. At that time another aircraft overflew Sabadell, causing the error to go unnoticed by the controller. The controller then cleared the Comet to descend to 2,800 feet. At approx. 1805LT the aircraft struck beech trees on the northeast slopes of the cloud-covered Les Agudes peak at an altitude of about 3,800 feet and crashed. The wreckage was found in the Sierra del Montseny, near the village of Arbúcies. The aircraft was totally destroyed and all 112 occupants have been killed.

United Arab Airlines

Following a normal takeoff roll, the captain pull the control column and started the rotation. During initial climb, at a height of 30 feet, severe vibrations were encountered. The captain decided to land back onto the runway but the available distance was insufficient. Unable to stop within the remaining distance, the airplane overran, lost its undercarriage and came to rest in flames in an open field. Fire was quickly extinguished and all 23 occupants were evacuated safely. Nevertheless, the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

United Arab Airlines

The approach to Addis Ababa-Haile Selassie I Airport was completed by night and marginal weather conditions. On final, at an altitude of 150 feet, the pilot-in-command made a visual contact with runway 32 but the aircraft was 250 feet to the right of the extended centerline. The captain decided to make a turn to the left when the aircraft banked left, lost height and struck the ground. Out of control, it crashed by the runway and came to rest. All 14 occupants were injured and the aircraft was destroyed.

British European Airways - BEA

G-ARCO left London-Heathrow Airport at 2145 hours on 11 October 1967, operating British European Airways (BEA) flight BE284 to Athens. It carried 38 passengers and 2 154 kg of freight, including 920 kg for Nicosia. The aircraft arrived at Athens at 0111 hours on 12 October and reached its parking area on the apron at about 0115 hours. Six Athens passengers were disembarked. At Athens the flight became Cyprus Airways flight CY 284 for Nicosia. Four passengers and the captain remained on board the aircraft whilst it was refuelled and serviced for the flight to Nicosia. The Captain and the two First Officers continued with the aircraft but the cabin staff was changed, the new staff being those of Cyprus Airways. Twenty-seven passengers joined the aircraft at Athens for the flight to Nicosia. From the evidence of the BEA and Olympic Airways staff at Athens the aircraft's transit was normal. It was refuelled to .a total of approximately 17 000 kg and only one minor defect, relating to the Captain's beam compass, was recorded in the technical log. This defect was dealt with by the ground crew. The baggage for the passengers joining the aircraft for the flight to Nicosia and the freight was placed in holds 1 and 2; the baggage and freight from London to Nicosia remained in holds 4 and 5. The aircraft taxied out at 0227 hours and was airborne on schedule at 0231 hours; it was cleared by Athens Control to Nicosia on Upper Airway Red 19 to cruise at flight level (FL) 290. After take-off it climbed to 4 000 ft on the 180' radial of Athens VOR and then turned direct to Sounion, which it reported crossing at 0236 hours. At 0246 hours, the aircraft reported that it was crossing R19B at FL 290 and was estimating Rhodes at 0303 hours. At 0258 hours at an estimated position 3fi041'N, 27O13'E, the aircraft passed a westbound BEA Comet which was flying at FL 280. Each aircraft saw the other; the Captain of the westbound aircraft has staked that flight conditions were clear and smooth. G-ARC0 passed Rhodes at 0304 hours and at 0316 hours reported passing R19C at FL 290 and that it estimated passing abeam of Myrtou, Cyprus, at 0340 hours. This message was not received by Athens direct but was relayed by the westbound aircraft. G-ARC0 was then cleared by Athens to change to the Nicosia FIR frequency. The recording of the R/T communications with Nicosia shows that G-ARC0 called them to establish contact; the time of this call was 0318 hours + 9 seconds and it is estimated that the aircraft would then have been at a position 35° 51'N 30°17' E, approximately 15 NM to the east of R19C. Nicosia replied to the aircraft with an instruction to go ahead with its message but no further transmission was heard. Nicosia continued to try to contact the aircraft but without result and overdue action was therefore taken. At 0440 hours R.A.F. Search and Rescue aircraft took off from Akrotiri; at 0625 hours wreckage from G-ARC0 was sighted in the vicinity of R19C, the last reported position. None of the 66 occupants survived the crash.

Malaysian Airways

The flight from Kuala Lumpur was uneventful until the airplane approached Singapore. Visibility was good as the co-pilot started the approach to runway 02. The flare was initiated a little late and the airplane touched down firmly. The Comet bounced and floated a few feet over the runway. During the bounce the starboard wheel bogie and part of the landing gear leg dropped off. The crew tried to hold the wing off the ground after the aircraft settled back onto the runway. Finally the wing contacted the runway. The engines were shut down and left wheel brakes applied before the aircraft came to rest. At the time of the accident, the gears totalized 4,500 landings and was certified for 8,000.

United Arab Airlines

Flight 869 was a scheduled international flight from Tokyo, Japan to Cairo, United Arab Republic via Hong Kong, Bangkok, Bombay and Bahrain. A crew change was effected at Bangkok. Based on the tape recordings of messages exchanged between the aircraft and Santa Cruz approach and radar control, the flight was reconstructed. It was uneventful until 2016 hours GMT when it reported arriving over the Santa Cruz VOR at 7 000 ft. It was cleared to descend to 4 000 ft over the VOR and was requested to report what type of approach would be carried out for landing on runway 09. The aircraft reported it would follow the ILS back beam procedure. It was advised by Santa Cruz approach that the back beam of the ILS was not flyable but that it could home on the 270° radial of the VOR. The aircraft agreed to do a VOR letdown for runway 09, and shortly thereafter reported it was leaving 7 000 ft outbound over the sea on the 272° radial of the VOR. At 2018 Santa Cruz radar, which was monitoring the flight, warned it that if it flew more than 6 or 7 miles west of the field it would run into very heavy turbulence. Shortly thereafter the flight requested permission to make a left-hand procedure turn instead of the normal right-hand turn. This was granted. At 2019 the flight commenced the procedure turn inbound. Santa Cruz radar advised the flight that it was then 6 miles west-northwest of the field. Flight 869 acknowledged this message and was not heard from again. During the turn in severe turbulence and heavy rain the pilot lost control of the aircraft. It was found later on that the air- craft had crashed into the sea 9 NM west of Madh Island at approximately 2020 hours.

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The four engine aircraft was completing a flight from Geneva to Nice, carrying eight crew members and ten members of the Saudi Royal Family. While cruising by night above the Alps and along the border between France and Italy, the crew was in communication with ATC based in Aix-en-Provence and was instructed to descent to 10,000 feet when the airplane struck the slope of Mt Matto located 28 km southwest of Cuneo. The wreckage was found a day later and all 18 occupants have been killed.

United Arab Airlines

Flight UA869 departed from Hong Kong for Bangkok, an intermediate stop, on a scheduled service to Cairo. Takeoff time was 13:30 UTC. The flight climbed to 31000 ft, the selected cruising altitude. At 15:14 UA869 advised Bangkok ATC that the flight had crossed the Bangkok FIR boundary at 15:08 and passed over Ubol NDB at 15:13 and requested to fly direct from Ubol NDB to Bangkok VOR. This request was granted by Bangkok ATC. At this time UA869 advised Bangkok ATC that the ETA for Bangkok VOR would be 15:47. At 15:27 the flight advised Bangkok ATC that it would be over the 100 mile perimeter at 15:30. After reporting that it was 90 miles out the crew requested descent clearance to a lower altitude. Bangkok control cleared the flight to descend to 4000 ft on the Bangkok VOR radial of 073 degrees and to report when commencing descent from 31000 ft. The flight was instructed to contact Bangkok approach control at 15:39. At 15:35 the flight was cleared to 3000 ft and informed that the altimeter setting was 1007.8 mb. At 15:40 the flight transferred to the Bangkok approach control. Immediately after this UA869 reported to approach control that it was descending from 13000 ft and estimating Bangkok VOR at 15:44. Approach control advised the flight to adjust the altimeter setting to 1007.8 mb and then cleared the flight to cross Bangkok VOR for final approach on runway 21R and report immediately on descending from 3000 ft. This was the last contact with the flight. The Comet flew into the side of Khao Yai Mountain, 52 nm NE of Bangkok.

British European Airways - BEA

The aircraft was on a scheduled flight from London to Rome, Athens, Istanbul, Ankara, Nicosia and Tel Aviv. From Istanbul the flight was operated by British European Airways on behalf of Cyprus Airways. The operating crew, employed by BEA, consisted of a captain and two first officers. Also aboard were four cabin staff employed by Cyprus Airways and 27 passengers. The trip to Ankara was normal. The time between landing and starting engines at Ankara was 46 minutes during which light snow was falling. (At take-off the aircraft had a light covering of snow on the upper surface of its wings, however, this deposit had no bearing on the accident). The radio-telephony tape recording showed that the aircraft taxied out along the short taxiway, then back-tracked up the runway to its take-off position on runway 21 at the intersection with the longer taxiway. The runway length available from this position was 9,027 feet. Take-off weight was 53 465 kg, i.e. 18 185 kg below maximum permissible weight or 1 085 kg below the regulated take-off weight. The takeoff run as to distance and time was quite normal, as also were rotation and unstick. The first abnormality occurred a second or two after unstick when the aircraft rapidly assumed an excessively steep climbing angle. One witness put the angle achieved as about twice the normal, another as 45° to 50°. There was also evidence from witnesses of a wing drop and of variations in the engine noise during this climb. The aircraft stalled with the left wing down at a height of about 450 ft then sank to the ground in a relatively flat attitude. The accident site was 1 600 m and on a bearing of 214° from Esenboga Tower. The accident occurred at 2343LT. The aircraft was almost completely destroyed by impact and fire. All 7 crew and 20 passengers were killed. Six passengers were seriously injured.

Aerolineas Argentinas

Less than two minutes after takeoff from Campinas-Viracopos Airport, at an altitude of 100 meters, the airplane struck trees, stalled and crashed in eucalyptus forest. The airplane was totally destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire and all 52 occupants were killed.

Aerolineas Argentinas

The crew was completing a local training flight at Buenos Aires-Ezeiza-Ministro Pistarini. Following several maneuvers in the area, the crew started a new approach. The aircraft landed hard, causing the undercarriage to puncture the wings and the fuel tanks. The aircraft bounced then swung on runway before coming to rest in flames. While all six crew members were slightly injured, the aircraft was destroyed.

Aerolineas Argentinas

On final approach to Asunción-Silvio Pettirossi Airport, the crew encountered marginal weather conditions with limited visibility. The four engine aircraft was too low, hit trees and struck the ground. On impact, the undercarriage were sheared off and the airplane slid for several yards before coming to rest in a wooded area. A crew member and a passenger were killed while all 48 other occupants were evacuated, some of them wounded. The aircraft was written off.

South African Airways -SAA - Suid Afrikaanse Lugdiens - SAL

Owned by BOAC, the aircraft was operated by South African Airways with a SAA crew under flight SA201. It left Rome-Ciampino Airport at 1932LT (25 minutes delay due to a technical problem) with an ETA at Cairo Airport at 2220LT. While cruising at an estimated altitude of 35,000 feet off the Italian coast, the aircraft disappeared from radar screens at 2004LT and crashed into the Tyrrhenian Sea, about 17 km off San Lucido. SAR operations were quickly dispatched but eventually suspended few days later as no trace of the aircraft nor the 21 occupants was found.

British Overseas Airways Corporation - BOAC

About twenty minutes after its takeoff from Rome-Ciampino Airport, while cruising at an altitude of 27,000 feet between the islands of Elbe and Montecristo, the airplane suffered a brutal decompression, disappeared from radar screens and crashed into the Tyrrhenian Sea. Some debris were found floating about 16 km south of Elbe Island and the main wreckage sank by a depth of 600 meters. All 35 occupants were killed. About 70% of the debris were recovered and the airplane was rebuilt in UK for investigations. As there were suspicions of technical issues, BOAC, Air France and SAA decided to suspend all Comet flights. After fifty modifications and improvements, the airplane started to fly again two months later. It was eventually discovered that the airplane suffered a structural failure and exploded in flight.

British Overseas Airways Corporation - BOAC

Because taxi lights were too dim to use at night, the crew had to use the landing lights while taxiing. Both lights had to be alternated left and right to avoid a meltdown by using a switch behind the captains seat. In a left hand turn the captain took his left hand off the steering wheel to select another landing light. The steering centered, and then the aircraft right wheel bogies ran off the paved surface. Engine power was applied on the two right engines, causing the bogie struts to be forced up and into the wing structure causing much damage. Source: https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19530725-0

Union Aéromaritime de Transport - UAT

Following an uneventful flight and approach, the pilot-in-command landed properly and started the braking procedure when one of the main landing gear struck a hole in the runway surface. The gear's leg broke off and the airplane came on its belly, slid for dozen yards and overran before coming to rest about 40 meters past the runway end. There were no casualties but the aircraft was considered as damaged beyond repair. Brand new, it was delivered few weeks ago.

British Overseas Airways Corporation - BOAC

On its scheduled return flight from Singapore to London the aircraft took off from Calcutta-Dum Dum Airport at 1629LT bound for New Delhi-Palam Airport. Six minutes later, while climbing, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with the presence of a thunder-squall. The airplane went out of control, nosed down and crashed near the village of Jagalgori, about 24 miles from Dum Dum Airport. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 43 occupants were killed.

Canadian Pacific Airlines - CP Air

The crew (five flying crew and six De Havilland engineers) were conducting a demo flight from London to Sydney to show this new jetliner to potential clients in Southeast Asia and Oceania. While taking off from runway 25 (2,500 meters long) at Mauripur Airbase, the airplane failed to get airborne, overran, hit several obstacles, went through a perimeter fence and eventually crashed in flames in a small river. The aircraft was destroyed by a post crash fire and all 11 occupants were killed.

British Overseas Airways Corporation - BOAC

The aircraft was operating a scheduled passenger service from London to Johannesburg. The flight from London Airport to Rome was without incident. During the take-off from Rome on the second stage, the aircraft's normal speed failed to build up and after becoming airborne for a few seconds, the Captain's immediate reaction was that there was a lack of engine thrust. He throttled back the engines at the same time as the aircraft came to rest near the airport boundary, and the aircraft sustained considerable damage and two passengers were slightly injured. For take-off the aircraft was taxied to Runway 16 and lined up on the centre line; all pre-take-off checks were made and the elevator, aileron and rudder trim were set at the neutral position. The Captain's estimation of runway visibility was 5 miles but with no horizon. The flaps were lowered to 15" and the windscreen wipers were both operating. The engines were opened up to full power and the isolation switches were set to "Isolate'. The RPM were checked at 10 250 on all engines; fuel flows, engine temperatures and pressures were reported to be correct. The brakes were released and the aircraft made a normal acceleration. At an IAS of 75-80 knots, the nose wheel was lifted from the runway and a slight tendency to swing to starboard was corrected. At an IAS of 112 knots, the Captain lifted the aircraft from the ground by a positive backward movement of the control column and when he considered that the aircraft had reached a safe height he called for "undercarriage up". At about the same instant the port wing dropped rather violently and the aircraft swung to port; the controls gave normal response and lateral level was regained. At this point the Captain realized that the aircraft's speed was not building up, although he made no reference to the ASI. A pronounced buffeting was felt which he associated with the onset of a stall and in spite of two corrective movements of the control column the buffeting continued. Before the First Officer had time to select undercarriage up, the aircraft came down on its main landing wheels and bounced. It was now plainly evident to the Captain that the aircraft's speed was not increasing and he was convinced that there was a considerable loss of engine thrust. He was also aware that the aircraft was rapidly approaching the end of the runway and a decision to abandon the take-off was made. The undercarriage struck a mound of earth as he was closing the throttles and the aircraft slid for some 270 yards over rough ground. The main undercarriages were wrenched off and considerable damage resulted; a large spillage of fuel occurred but fire did not break out. One passenger suffered slight shock and another sustained a cut finger.