| Recurring |
unknown |
(a) The software failure incident related to the helium leak causing Apple devices to malfunction at Morris Hospital near Chicago is specific to that organization and its products and services. There is no mention in the article of a similar incident happening before within the same organization.
(b) The incident involving the helium leak affecting iPhones and Apple Watches due to a helium gas leak at Morris Hospital near Chicago appears to be unique to that particular organization. There is no indication in the article that a similar incident has happened before at other organizations or with their products and services. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design |
(a) The software failure incident in the article was primarily related to the design phase. The incident occurred due to a helium leak from a newly-installed MRI machine that caused about 120 liters of liquid helium to be vented into the building over five hours. This helium leak led to the malfunction of iPhones and Apple Watches by infiltrating the devices and causing the internal clock to malfunction, rendering the devices virtually useless [77075].
(b) The software failure incident was not related to the operation phase or misuse of the system. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident involving iPhones and Apple Watches being temporarily rendered useless was due to a contributing factor originating from within the system. Specifically, the incident was caused by a helium gas leak within the hospital building where a new GE MRI machine was being installed. The leak of about 120 liters of liquid helium into the building led to the malfunction of the internal clocks in the Apple devices, making them inoperable [77075]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in the hospital, where iPhones and Apple Watches were temporarily rendered useless, was not directly caused by human actions but rather by a non-human factor - a helium gas leak from a newly-installed MRI machine. The leak led to helium infiltrating the devices and causing the internal clock to malfunction, ultimately resulting in the devices becoming unresponsive [77075].
(b) Human actions were involved in the response and investigation of the software failure incident. The IT employee, Erik Woolridge, played a key role in identifying and troubleshooting the issue. He initially thought the problem was due to electromagnetic pulses from the MRI machine but later discovered the connection to the helium leak. Woolridge conducted experiments to understand the impact of helium on the devices and shared his findings on platforms like Reddit. Additionally, Apple provided guidance on how users could recover their affected devices after exposure to helium [77075]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware |
(a) The software failure incident in the article was primarily caused by hardware-related factors. Specifically, the incident was linked to a helium gas leak from a newly-installed MRI machine at a hospital. The leak resulted in about 120 liters of liquid helium being vented into the building, affecting Apple devices like iPhones and Apple Watches [77075].
(b) The software failure incident was not directly attributed to contributing factors originating in software. The issue with the Apple devices, such as iPhones and Apple Watches, was a result of the helium infiltration causing the internal clock to malfunction, rather than a software-related problem [77075]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident described in the articles is non-malicious. The incident was caused by a helium gas leak in a hospital that affected iPhones and Apple Watches, rendering them temporarily unusable. The leak of helium into the building interfered with the internal clock of the devices, causing them to malfunction [77075]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
accidental_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident described in the articles is not related to poor decisions. Instead, it was an accidental incident caused by a helium gas leak in a hospital that affected iPhones and Apple Watches [77075]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
accidental |
(a) The software failure incident in the article does not seem to be related to development incompetence. The issue was not caused by a lack of professional competence but rather by a unique external factor - a helium gas leak affecting iPhones and Apple Watches [77075].
(b) The software failure incident in the article can be categorized as accidental. The incident was accidental as it was caused by a helium gas leak in the hospital due to a malfunction in the MRI machine, which inadvertently affected the iPhones and Apple Watches, rendering them temporarily unusable [77075]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident described in the article was temporary. The incident was caused by a helium leak in a hospital that affected iPhones and Apple Watches, rendering them temporarily unusable. The issue was not permanent as the devices could be recovered by letting the helium dissipate from the device and allowing the battery to fully discharge [77075]. |
| Behaviour |
crash, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in the article can be categorized as a crash. The iPhones and Apple Watches affected by the helium leak issue were described as behaving oddly, with most of them being completely dead and not showing any indication of charging when plugged in. Some devices that did power on had issues with the cellular radio, indicating a loss of functionality and a failure to perform their intended functions [77075].
(b) omission: The incident does not specifically mention a failure due to the system omitting to perform its intended functions at an instance(s). The focus of the issue was more on the devices being rendered useless or malfunctioning due to the helium leak, rather than the system omitting specific functions [77075].
(c) timing: The software failure incident does not align with a failure due to the system performing its intended functions correctly but too late or too early. The issue described in the article was more about the devices being impacted by the helium leak and malfunctioning rather than timing-related issues [77075].
(d) value: The incident does not relate to a failure due to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. The malfunction of the iPhones and Apple Watches was attributed to the helium infiltrating the devices and causing the internal clock to malfunction, rather than the system performing functions incorrectly [77075].
(e) byzantine: The software failure incident does not exhibit a failure due to the system behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. The issue was more straightforward, with the helium leak impacting the devices in a consistent manner, rendering them non-functional or causing specific issues like cellular radio problems [77075].
(f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident can be categorized as a hardware-related failure rather than a software-related failure. The malfunction of the iPhones and Apple Watches was directly linked to the helium leak affecting the internal components of the devices, particularly the internal clock, rather than a software glitch or error [77075]. |