The April 29, 1992 issue of the Chicago Tribune reported: “A stripped gear in the propeller controls of a commuter plane caused it to nosedive into the Georgia woods last April, killing former U.S. Senator John Tower of Texas and twenty-two others, the government concluded Tuesday. A gear that adjusted the pitch of the left engine’s propellers was slowly worn away by an opposing part with a harder titanium coating, the National Transportation Safety Board said. “It acted like a file, and over time it wore down the teeth that controlled the propeller,” said acting board chairman Susan Coughlin.”
Just as the titanium gear wore away the gear that it was closest too, one harsh spouse or friend can wear down the spirit of the other.