Failures in military aircraft

The second example illustrates the growing emphasis on taking a “whole system” view, and relates to a serious incident in which fuel in a tank was ignited as a result of a wiring system failure. The investigation illustrates the problem of resolving failure sequences when a number of possible scenarios need to be assessed. In this case, earlier development, over a number of years, of a capability for assessment of wiring system failures paid off, when a very detailed investigation opened up a wide range of wiring system issues elsewhere in the fleet.