The aircraft featured in the film is an Avro Ashton 3. It was built as a research aircraft and at the time of filming was being employed by Bristol Siddeley Engines (now Rolls Royce) in engine testing.
The film is inspired by true events surrounding the De Havilland Comet in the early 1950s.
The film is based on the novel Cone of Silence by David Beaty, published in London, in 1959.
For filming, the Avro Ashton - which had 2 engine pods, with 2 engines in each, were supplemented with an additional 2 engines, 1 on each side, for a total of 6.
This was one of three films where Peter Cushing and Andre Morell shared screen time. The other two being "The Hound of the Baskervilles" and "Cash on Demand."