Thanks for the comments. It is a really fascinating story, and I agree that as design is an evolving animal, it is difficult to predict what shortcomings new technology might have. My concern is that with media reporting having the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, the flight test community is less likely to share its insights with the public, and also any inaccuracies portrayed become lodged in the public psyche as "fact".
BTW, I believe a lot of the Comet problems were the source material behind the book "Cone of Silence" which was later made into a film ( circa 1960 ) if anyone's interested.
Best wishes all
MB