To: Genghis
Along the lines you described about the pilot shutting down the wrong engine I would suggest you go down to your local video rental center and pick up a copy of Fate is the hunter. Disregard the love and personality parts as the technical aspect of the movie is quite good. The special effects however are not too good. I use this video as a teaching tool whenever I conduct a course on Reliability and Maintainability.
Regarding the tire (tyre) having a reliability of 1 10-6 I wasn't implying that that was the design reliability. It is true that tires (tyres) have a limited life expectancy that is why they are replaced on a periodic basis which restores the reliability to an acceptable level.
In the performance of the Failure Mode Effects Analysis relative to tires (English spelling) the analyst would indicate that the reliability was very low relative to the structural elements of the landing gear. He would include as a compensating provision that there are redundant wheel assemblies and that the rubber parts of the wheels are replaced on a periodic basis.
The rules governing the preparation of the FMEA prohibits the reference to secondary damage to a non related system. Although the rules were established in the USA the MOD has adapted them for applications to equipments built in the UK. This material is covered in DEF STAN 00-41
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The Cat