[citizen]

Jo...and others. A single engine system is mathematically less prone to a failure incident than is an airplane with 3 engines. 3 engines = 3 opportunities for a failure incident.

Obviously, if the single engine fails, I am hosed. 2 or 3 engines allow for continued flight, assuming airworthiness can be maintained.

[JoSixChip]

A single engine system is mathematically less prone to a failure

The thing you are missing is that all engines can fail, but two engines failing at the same time is exponentially less likely then one. You can still fly with only one engine. It's called redundancy and it is the main reason they developed multiple engine planes in the first place.