I think what actually happened was that I had a cheap combat computer (the theory works with any SYST type) in there and it got damaged, I put a more advanced one into an empty hardpoint (successfully avoiding the need to click on it to swap it) and the damaged one obviously came out.
So the bug required a slightly more complex set-up than I thought, but I assure you it's there
What I imagine the actual cause of the crash to be is the engine attempting to repair an object that doesn't exist (the one in the empty hardpoint, instead of the one you're holding with the cursor) and throwing up as a result.
Just my two cents.