The boeing 707 was built to be incredibly tough. The manufacturer wasn't going to repeat the tragic metal fatigue experience faced by de Havilland in the early years of its Comet jetliner program, when at least three planes were lost with all those on board. In addition to being the beneficiary of the British pioneers' hard learned lessons, the 707 also had military-grade pedigree in its prototype. The 'Dash Eighty' was as much a proof-of-concept machine for the US Air Force (that was looking for a transport and an air-to-air tanker), as it was for the airlines. Proof of the innate strength of the 707 came in 1965, when two flights operated by US carriers suffered virtually identical mishaps, although for different reasons-an engine explosion and a mid-air collision. In both cases, they were able to land safely.
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