Let’s not sugarcoat it: sometimes someone deliberately causes a crash, like a pilot with bad intentions or an actor with a bomb. This is incredibly rare, but it’s a factor. Also, maintenance errors happen—like a mechanic forgetting to tighten a bolt on a wing.
Imagine a barista forgetting to put the lid on your latte. Annoying. A mechanic forgetting a bolt? Catastrophic. That’s why there are checklists for everything, and two people often check the same job. It’s the “trust, but verify” rule of air travel.
