When a Japan Airlines DC-8 lands short of the runway in San Francisco Bay, its captain admits fault with disarming honesty — a statement that later becomes known as the Asoh Defense. Decades later, the U.S. Navy submarine USS Greeneville collides with the Japanese fishing vessel Ehime Maru, and another captain shoulders the weight of guilt. In this episode of The Essence of Safety, we explore how self-blame can obscure the deeper truths behind accidents — and why taking responsibility isn’t always the same as learning from it.