The prototype De Havilland DH.110 (s/n WG236) in flight. WG236 made its first flight on 26 September 1951. The aircraft's performance exceeded expectations, and by the following year it was regularly flying faster than the speed of sound. However, tragedy struck while the aircraft was being demonstrated at the Farnborough Airshow on 6 September 1952. Following a demonstration of its ability to break the sound barrier, the aircraft disintegrated, killing 31 people, including the crew of two, test pilots John Derry and Tony Richards. The failure was traced to faulty design of the end sections of the main spar, which resulted in the outer ends of the wings shearing off during a high-rate turn.
USN
circa 1952 <div style="display: none;">date QS:P,+1952-00-00T00:00:00Z/9,P1480,Q5727902</div>
U.S. Navy Naval Aviation News July 1952 <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.history.navy.mil/nan/backissues/1950s/1952/Jul52.pdf">[1]</a>, inside cover.