computer malfunction

This type of error is common, Mahar said, and often due to human error or computer malfunction.

Now, 17 summers after a tree branch touched a high-voltage line and a computer malfunction at FirstEnergy unraveled into a massive blackout in the U.S. northeast and Canada, the company again finds itself on the defensive.

In addition, a separate test mission – to try out landing technology for ExoMars – crashed on the planet because of a computer malfunction.

Among them: 100 yards of cables were improperly installed and had to be removed; about 4,000 doors were incorrectly numbered; some escalators were not long enough; a computer malfunction meant that construction workers couldn’t turn the lights off in the terminal for months.

You might be tempted to blame “computer malfunction” or even sabotage but few people will believe you, so you’re better off owning up to the mistake and asking for forgiveness.