Magners,
If what you are now saying is to be believed, then it would appear that the Nimrod fleet have even more problems than we thought.
But you let yourself down somewhat with your conclusion of the 737 incident and the rudder actuator servo valve. What do you think happened AFTER the servo valve was identified? Do you think that the NTSB said 'OK, we know what the problem was, but what the heck?' Do you think they ignored the problem? or maybe they informed all operators of the problem and enforced them into a replacement? Which one do you think they went for?
TWA flight 500 was brought down by an explosion in a fuel tank that was empty of fuel but not fumes. A single hot-air/ignition source caused the explosion and the loss olf all on board. So what did the authorities do? Did they ignore that maybe? Of course not.
I agree that both of the problems you highlight were not spotted earlier, but the fact remains that when they WERE identified, they were acted upon immediately. You have to say that if the RAF/MOD had acted, would 230/227 have happened?
Maybe, be I doubt it.
The Winco