Bengo
"Retaining an aircraft in service with a known airworthiness problem can be done Sometimes, often even, the problem can be lived with, by adjustment of what the aircrew and engineers do with the aircraft so that the risk is acceptable. This has been done on many occasions, often as soon as an AAIB/RNAAIU investigation has revealed a potential problem. "
That is the problem.
The adjustment causes a loss of capability, otherwise we would have been doing it in the first case!
How about we take a big picture look at the problem, and in some instances just say "the risk is large but the gain is worth it, carry on"
The problem is that though that is the right decision in some cases, the current system will send the officer who had the balls to sign it off to jail when the inevitable accident occurs, thus no sane man including me would sign it.
As an officer in the military it is not unacceptable to send men to their deaths in the interest of the bigger picture. ie winning the war.
99% of winning the war is done in peacetime training.
All Army officers know it. The projected losses of a Para assault or a feint etc are horrifying.
All Navy Officers know it. An engine compartment fire re-entry or damage control in the lower decks is not going to be pretty. For some reason it doesn't apply to aviation though.