What happened
On 10 January 1954, BOAC Flight 781 was performing the final leg of a scheduled service from Singapore to London. The aircraft, a de Havilland Comet registered G-ALYP, had departed from Ciampino Airport in Rome, heading toward Heathrow Airport. During the flight, the aircraft experienced a sudden and violent explosive decompression while at altitude.
At approximately 10:50 CEST, the crew was in radio contact with another aircraft, a BOAC Argonaut, flying at a lower altitude. The communication between the two pilots was abruptly terminated mid-sentence. Shortly after the radio silence, observers witnessed debris from the aircraft falling into the sea near the coast of Italy, specifically in the waters between the islands of Elba and Montecristo. The accident resulted in 35 fatalities and 0 survivors.
Investigation
The investigation into the loss of G-ALYP took place against a backdrop of similar tragedies involving the same aircraft type. This incident was the second of three fatal accidents involving the Comet occurring within a twelve-month period, following the loss of BOAC Flight 783 and preceding the crash of South African Airways Flight 201. The investigation focused on the sudden disintegration of the airframe during flight.