F-BGSA de Havilland D.H.106 Comet 1A
(c/n 6015)
Aeromaritime/UAT put the Comet into service
on 19 February 1953 on their Paris-Casablanca-
Dakar route. Even before the disastrous crashes of BOAC Comet G-ALYP
and South African
Airways
(leased) G-ALYY, which were to result in the Comet 1s being withdrawn
from service,
the
aircraft was known to have handling problems during take off and
landing. Several of them
were involved in overrunning runways. UAT originally ordered
three Comets, but their last to be
delivered,
F-BGSC was written off at Dakar on 25 June 1953 (just two months after
delivery)
when it overran the runway on landing, crossed a sandy culvert
and coming to rest on its belly
126
feet beyond the runway end. Nevertheless, UAT maintained
their schedules using the two
remaining aircraft until the South African Airways accident referred to
above forced the with-
drawal of these
machines completely on 12 April 1954. UAT's two were scrapped. in
1961.