Checking an expensive part on the CMM. I made a quick program because it was urgent. "Proved" out the program for moves and such. Ran the same part multiple times. CMM reports a large deviation on a critical diameter along a taper and everyone was scratching their heads trying to figure out what went wrong. Management almost conceded to scrap that part. I was asked to re run it again just to make sure and I find a point out of place on my cone construction. It just took 1 apple to run the bunch. Point was accidently taken in a tiny grease hole and I didn't foresee. I used paste and pattern and didn't think twice about it. I re-ran the part and the diameter is nominal, $40k part passed. I'm a genius and an idiot.
Not too many years ago (about 10) I missed an email in a string of about 15-20 emails back n forth between our QE and the SQE on a GD&T callout. That missed email was worth about $150k in parts not meeting the "last change" on the drawing. I was sweating bricks and made myself sick over it for about a month and I dreaded walking into work every day, I told the boss I was leaving over it and he wanted to know why it bothered me so much that it would get to this. I was miserable and he told not to worry about it.... He did tell me that the customer SQE had accepted a deviation on those parts a couple days earlier because even though they didn't meet the intent of the drawing they still functioned perfectly.
It happens more than most want to admit. Take it as a lesson and learn from it
