The theory, however elegant, must agree with the observed evidence, however humble. The simplest solution is the best solution. Having the wrong solution is frequently much worse than having no solution. Major incidents are often triggered by very minor or apparently innocuous details. Only one thing is worse than knowing you have a crack growing in a component, and that is not knowing you have a crack growing in a component.
Cracks never get smaller, nor do they ever disappear.
Material evaluation Thoroughness and diligence mandate that prudent material evaluation be an integral part of any failure analysis. Absurd as this practice may seem, it is done every day. Naturally, a wise analyst will always select test methods that are appropriate to the physical evidence of an investigation. A general rule in this regard is that failure analysis minus the analysis is just a failure. Equally deleterious is to disregard some of the necessary tests.