... The most unbelievable part was how several loosening of tolerances were just accepted in the aerospace industry. ...
Thanks for sharing this article. I may have flown on that very aircraft several times. The author is a bit too cheerful for my taste. Kudos to the crew and the overall aircraft design.
While it is important to look at the whole chain of fuck-ups that led to this accident, it is important to note that we have a component manufacturer who altered design documents and failed to comply with mandatory procedure in well over a hundred different cases.
Another wtf is the bit about a guy trying to figure out with a statistics tool (which he can't operate), how many defective items may be in service.
My clients sometimes feel that I act too friendly towards manufacturers. However, any manufacturer that changes my design without my approval, will lose the contract. He may get away with one stunt like this, but only if he convinces me that he will make sure this will not repeat.
To make that crystal clear: a manufacturer does not change designs. They give feedback to the designer, who may change the design.
Edit: typo