De Havilland Comet
A jet airliner developed by the British manufacturer de Havilland, which entered service in 1952 as the world's first commercial jet airliner. Repeated crashes of the early models reshaped aircraft structural safety standards.
The world's first jet airliner, the de Havilland Comet, had square windows that caused disaster. Pressurization cycles concentrated stress at the corners, causing metal fatigue cracks; in 1954 two Comets broke apart mid-air, killing dozens. Every airliner window since has been oval.
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