BOAC Flight 115

The comet was the first passenger jet in the world to fly in 1949 and revenue service began May of that year. G-ALYZ was the fifth comet produced commercially for the British Overseas Airways Corporation also known as BOAC. It was en route from London-Johannesburg and was the Comet 1A which was the updated version of the standard model. 35 people boarded the plane heading to Beirut with 2 captains, 1 engineer and 1 navigator.[3]

The aircraft was operating a regular passenger service from London to Johannesburg. The flight from Heathrow Airport to Ciampino was without incident. During the take-off from Rome on the second stage, the aircraft's normal speed failed to increase and after becoming airborne for a few moments. The Captain's quick reaction was that there was a lack of engine thrust so he tried to restart the engines but because it was a jet it would take too long so he decided to abort the take off but it was too late. The plane had skidded on the airport for 300m and suffered severe damage. Two were injured but luckily no deaths occurred however the plane was written off.[4]