It was the world’s first jet airliner—sleek, fast, and revolutionary. But the de Havilland Comet's groundbreaking leap into the Jet Age came at a terrible cost. Discover how design flaws, overlooked ...

But the de Havilland Comet’s success was short-lived. A fatal design flaw, hidden in plain sight, turned square windows into a deadly weakness. Cracks formed, pressure built, and tragedy followed.

Just three years after full-fledged design work commenced, De Havilland chief test pilot John Cunningham lifted the Comet off the ground for the first time and pronounced the plane “Very promising.