"Airbus, maker of the A330 that glided for 20 minutes before landing safely on the Azores Islands Friday, said the fuel leak was caused when a fuel pipe and a hydraulic pipe feeding the right engine rubbed together.
Rolls-Royce, manufacturer of the jet's two engines, had issued a service bulletin in March, 1999, modifying the two pipes to ensure adequate clearance between them."
There you go. Obviously it was a manufacturer/engineering error. They didn't allow enough clearance between the hydraulic and fuel lines, so they rubbed and made a hole in the fuel line.
Oh, wait.. that CAN'T be...
"She confirmed the plane's right engine had been changed four days before the mishap after a routine check detected metal filings in the engine oil. The change, which was performed by Air Transat mechanics, would have required the reconnection of the fuel and hydraulic pipes."
That's it! It was a mistake by the mechanics! Or at least an airline management mistake for not "getting the word" about the service bulletin to the line mechanics. Anyway, couldn't be an engineering defect.
Oh, wait.. that CAN'T be...
"Investigators are trying to determine how the plane, which had been adequately fuelled before takeoff, could have lost enough fuel to cripple both engines. The plane is designed to allow fuel leaks to be isolated and valves closed to stop a leak."
NOW we have it! They had plenty of fuel but those BLOODY PILOTS goofed up! It couldn't be a management or mechanic error.
Pilot Error! That's IT!
It's not that the manufacturer/engineers initially designed it so that the pipes rubbed together.
It's not that the airline failed to inform it's mechanics of the service bulletin.
It's not that the mechanics who changed the engine failed to perform the service bulletin.
It's that the PILOTS incorrectly assessed the situation and dumped the fuel overboard through the leak.
...ah.. we can rest easy now!
"There is no problem so complex that it cannot simply be blamed on the pilot.
— Dr Earl Weiner"
