Nuclear and radiation accidents and incidents involving HEU or plutonium trafficking: A nuclear meltdown is a severe nuclear reactor accident that results in reactor core damage from overheating. It has been defined as the accidental melting of the core of a nuclear reactor, and refers to the core's either complete or partial collapse. A core melt accident occurs when the heat generated by a nuclear reactor exceeds the heat removed by the cooling systems to the point where at least one nuclear fuel element exceeds its melting point. This differs from a fuel element failure, which is not caused by high temperatures. A meltdown may be
Chain of events (accident analysis) Chain of events (accident analysis) In accident analysis, a chain of events (or error chain) consists of the contributing factors leading to an undesired outcome. In aviation accidents and incidents, these contributing actions typically stem from human factor-related mistakes and pilot error, rather than mechanical failure. A study conducted by Boeing found that 55% of airline accidents between 1959 and 2005 were caused by such human related factors, while only 17% of accidents were caused by mechanical issues with the aircraft. The Tenerife airport disaster, the worst accident in aviation history, is a prime example of an accident in which