Excellent point.
There is very little difference between a small breakdown and a large one. They are both the product of unintended errors, and the consequences are a matter of luck.
For instance, there is a reasonably steady ratio between industrial accidents with lesser and larger consequences. That's because both are usually the product of the same sort of mental lapse.
One should learn from the small stuff, too.
For instance, if the foam on the Shuttles wasn't intended to come off, just because they got away with it for a while doesn't mean there wasn't something important to be learned.
Arf