THE Malvern Gazette 50 years ago published a picture of an airmail letter salvaged from the crash of a Comet passenger airliner.
The letter was addressed to G W Grundy, of the Wyche Stores, and was from Dr V Xavier of Sarawak, West Borneo.
The aircraft, operated by the BOAC airline, crashed in the sea after taking off from Calcutta on May 2, 1953. There were no survivors
The De Havilland Comet, the first jet airliner to enter service, was plagued with problems.
A couple of months earlier, a Comet had crashed on take off from Karachi, killing 11.
In 1954, two more aircraft were lost within three months, both crashing into the Mediterranean after taking off from Rome.
Subsequent investigations blamed metal-fatigue for the string of disasters.
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