adjudication of the attribution of an accident to a category of error (pilot
or mechanical) is often hotly contested and highly consequential. In this
case, there are actors with an interest in both attributions of error (the
manufacturer and its insurer favor pilot error; the pilots’ union—and
perhaps the victims, seeing the manufacturer as having the deeper
pockets—favor mechanical error). Clearly, reasons must be given to
attribute the error to one cause or the other. Although the attribution may
be contested, both sides must adduce evidence in favor of their
hypothesized cause of error.