Mayday! Software lessons from aviation disasters
summary
Two aviation investigations show precise takeaways: a 1989 crash kills 55 after counterfeit bolts cause resonant vibration that shears the tail—diagnosed by FDR/CVR analysis, reconstructing wreckage, and residue testing that initially misleads toward a bomb; a 1978 incident leaves 10 dead after fixation on landing gear causes fuel starvation, prompting mandatory crew resource management and protocols for situational awareness and assertive communication. Concrete practices: question your theory, follow the evidence, and treat audits and parts provenance as non‑optional.
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chapters (12)
- 0:00Introduction
- 2:39Partnair flight 394 crash
- 13:59Finn Heimdall’s investigation
- 15:23Black box analysis counterfeit parts
- 21:08Chain of events leading to disaster
- 24:18Technical debt code quality
- 28:31Childhood flight anecdote
- 30:36United flight 173 case study
- 39:59Flight 173 aviation safety change
- 42:12Crew resource management
- 44:43Situational awareness in software
- 49:00Conclusion Q&A
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