By Key Facts
- Aircraft Type: De Havilland DH88 Comet (G-ACSS)
- Operator: The Shuttleworth Trust
- Location: Old Warden Aerodrome, Bedfordshire, UK
- Date: 15 August 2025
The De Havilland DH88 Comet, one of only five ever built, suffered serious structural damage at Old Warden aerodrome on 15 August when it nosed over and came to rest inverted following a difficult landing during the Flying Proms air show. The Shuttleworth Trust, the UK heritage aviation organisation that owns the aircraft, has since confirmed it will rebuild the racer to full airworthy condition.
What Happened at Old Warden
Registered G-ACSS, the twin-engined racer was on approach to Old Warden’s grass strip — located roughly 65 kilometres north of London — when it bounced heavily on first contact with the runway. The pilot aborted that landing and went around.
On the second touchdown, the aircraft experienced shallow bouncing on its two forward main wheels. The situation worsened as the tail lowered and the tail-skid made contact with the ground. The DH88 appeared to settle and decelerate, but its tail then lifted and the aircraft nosed over, coming to rest inverted. It sustained a fractured fuselage and other substantial damage. The pilot received hospital treatment and was subsequently discharged.
De Havilland DH88 Comet: A Record-Breaking History
The De Havilland DH88 Comet G-ACSS was manufactured in 1934 specifically to compete in that year’s MacRobertson Trophy Air Race, a high-profile long-distance contest from the United Kingdom to Australia. Named Grosvenor House after the Mayfair hotel, it was one of three Comets entered and went on to win the event outright.
After the race, the aircraft was returned to the UK and operated by the Royal Air Force, during which period it “suffered several accidents”, according to the Shuttleworth Trust. It was eventually sold for scrap, but Essex Aero rebuilt it and the Comet participated in further races and aviation events before Shuttleworth acquired it in 1965 for restoration to flying condition.
A Pattern of Landing Incidents
The August accident is not the first time G-ACSS has sustained landing damage. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch recorded a ground-loop incident at Hatfield in July 1987 that caused the left main gear to collapse. Then, in October 2002, the aircraft bounced four times during a test-flight landing at Old Warden; on the fifth touchdown the right main gear collapsed, sending the aircraft sliding on its wingtip and right engine. Following modification, the DH88 returned to the air in 2014.
The DH88’s handling characteristics are widely regarded as demanding, a consequence of its narrow-track undercarriage and high landing speed — design compromises accepted in pursuit of outright race performance. Because fewer than a handful of complete examples survive, every airworthy Comet represents an irreplaceable piece of aviation history, which makes the Shuttleworth Trust’s commitment to another full restoration all the more significant.
