tombstone engineering

English edit

Noun edit

tombstone engineering (uncountable)

  1. The practice of letting accidents or failures (perhaps occasioning death, but not necessarily) identify engineering problems.
    • 2005, Safe Skies International
      The media have the power to drive the FAA to actions that may not directly benefit safety but are very reactive to accidents, then they turn around and accuse the FAA of tombstone engineering for behaving in that very fashion.