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Failure to resolve unexpected faults (elusive faults) on the first attempt can result in rapidly escalating costs and operational disruptions due to flight cancellations, gate delays, unsubstantiated part removals, complete out-of-service periods, and unplanned overtime and shift bonuses.

Elusive faults are the most difficult type of fault that technicians can face because they are not always correctly addressed by existing diagnostics aids, such as built-in tests or fault-isolation manuals. These problems are often characterized by intermittent symptoms, possibly caused by unpredictable conditions such as aging, environmental factors, or manufacturing error.

Elusive faults consume a disproportionate share of the unplanned maintenance-related expenses due to the difficulty of determining their root cause. Troubleshooters often have no convenient or timely way of knowing that another mechanic has encountered a similar problem and has solved it already. Until now, they've been on their own and often in the dark about how to find a solution quickly.