Most mechanical design defect cases end up like the Challenger inquiry. Richard Feynmann, playing with a rubber ring in a glass of ice water, showed how obvious was the problem with the rubber O-rings that failed, leaking fuel, bringing destruction to the craft and crew. Pride is, of course, the first sin. And plenty of that is available for review on the Deepwater Horizon. It lies behind all the big screw-ups - usually because the underestimation of human frailty is aggravated by cupidity.
The New York Times team here presents the story of the single valve which had to work to cut off the flow of oil when things went wrong. There was no alternative, there was no back-up and failure was an option. How many people knew? Lots. Who were they? Everybody who looked at it. The Times' video graphic of the failed "shear ram" is particularly compelling.
Failure of Rig’s Last Line of Defense Tied to Myriad Factors - NYTimes.com
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