COMET INQUIRY

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27500, 6 November 1954, Page 7

COMET INQUIRY

“Flying Life Of Cabins Very Short Indeed” (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 9 p.m.) LONDON. Nov. 4. A scientist said today that after considering the known failures, he felt the total flying life of the pressurised cabins of Britain’s Comet jet airliners would be “very short indeed.” The scientist, Dr. Percy Walker, head of the Aircraft Structure Department of the Royal Aircraft Research Establishment at Farnborough, had been recalled for cross-examina-tion in the inquiry which is investigating the disasters in the Mediterranean to two Comets.

Questioned about under-water tests at Farnborough on another Comet plane, he agreed that no failure occurred in pressure in the cabin earlier than the equivalent of 9000 flying hours. The lawyer representing the Air Registration Board asked if from that Jest alone he would have deduced as probable a fatigue failure at 2700 hours. This was the approximate flying time completed by one of the Comets which crashed near Naples. Walker answered: “The probability is we should not have agreed to the aircraft continuing flying.” Walker added that as the result of the tests, Farnborough experts would have regarded the plane which crashed near Elba as definitely in danger, and the Naples aircraft as either in danger or getting, near to it. The lawyer representing the British Airline Pilots’ Association asked: “What, on the basis of failure at 9000 hours, would you estimate as the maximum safe life for a Comet fuselage?” Walker replied: “I shouldn’t have thought it was worth flying at all.”