[djf]

I agree re: missile. The fact is that center fuel tanks simply don't do what they said. Jet fuel is about as flammable as charcoal lighter stuff, it works well under pressure and controlled conditions in the engine, but propane or gasoline it ain't.

And the laws of large numbers argues against it. There have been tens of millions of aircraft flights, and this center tank thingy happens JUST ONCE???

Not to mention that Boeing is the greatest aircraft manufacturer ever and despite what some may say, pays alot of attention to quality and safety. They probably have thousands of terrabytes of flight data recording info.

[Non-Sequitur]

And the laws of large numbers argues against it. There have been tens of millions of aircraft flights, and this center tank thingy happens JUST ONCE???

An engine tore off the port mounting of a DC-10 only once (Flight 191 in Chicago, 1979). A cargo hatch blew out on a DC-10 once (Turkish Airlines, Flight 881, 1974). The thrust reverse system deployed in flight on a 767 once (Lauda Air, Flight 004, 1991). A lot of things happen once, mainly because corrective actions are taken.

[Wil H]

And the laws of large numbers argues against it. There have been tens of millions of aircraft flights, and this center tank thingy happens JUST ONCE???

And could not be re-created under the most liberal test conditions.