Facts are what was seen, heard, felt or smelled, etc. Fact sources include:
1. the job site
2. damaged parts
3. metallurgical labs
Service reports and maintenance records should be reviewed and facts
gathered from them.
The analyst should be patient and take the time needed to observe and
record as many facts as possible. Later on these facts will produce events
for a time line.
On difficult problems, facts can personally be gathered to reduce the
chance of communication errors. In most instances, however, others will
do fact gathering. It is therefore important that all who will gather facts
understand the basic principles of good fact gathering and insure that facts
are recorded.