Cockney Steve
I don't think that it is the traceability that is the prime cost issue, it is the product liability insurance.
The failure of a critical aircraft part is likely to result in death, by the very nature of aircraft they are generally flown by the more affluent members of society and so if there is a liability case the numbers are likely to be large.
The chances of a domestic product attracting the same level of liability and the vastly larger number of units sold brings the insurance liability rate per item down to a very low level............. It's all a numbers game.
Just as the aircraft manufactures can't justify loading all the product liability onto the few critical parts the numbers game says they have to spread it over all the parts they sell.
From my point of view as an LAA inspector who has a duty of care to the aircraft owner I have to take the veiw that an aircraft bolt is better than an equally specification commercial bolt, they may be equally fit for perpose but when some smart lawyer finds out that the commercial item is also used in a domestic appliance and the Daily Mail prints the story that the aircraft was held together with washing machine parts how do you think this will play with a jury ?
You only have to see how the Lack of aviation understanding played out in the case of the BA 747 that made a poor approach at LHR a few years back played out to know what happeneds when those with little understanding of a subject are called to find fault.
Last edited by A and C; 23rd March 2014 at 16:54.