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

Starring:

Philip Rosch, Tristan Gemmill

Genre:

Documentary