However, it's unheard of that two engines would break loose at or about the same time. Jet and engine manufacturers go to great lengths to ensure that catastrophic engine failures cannot cause a crash.
Similarly, jets are designed with so much strength that even when the wings or tail fins are damaged, they almost never break loose before crashing, investigators say.
It doesn't sound like the typical thing," says Kevin Darcy, the former lead accident investigator at Boeing who is now an aviation consultant.
Whenever engines break off a jet, investigators focus on possible failures within the engine. The CF6 engines on American's A300 fleet have recently drawn the attention of safety regulators
In fact, one engine specialist who asked not to be identified, said modern, high-power engines like the CF6 have failed so rarely in flight that investigators have little idea what would happen to a jet if one came apart.
Investigators also say it seems unlikely that failures violent enough to shake each engine loose from the aircraft could strike both at about the same time.
Though federal officials went out of their way to say no evidence suggested sabotage, officials say privately that they cannot rule it out. It is possible, safety experts say, that a bomb or a missile downed the jet. In the past, terrorists have attempted to shoot down jets using small handheld missiles. Loeb says an explosion at the rear of the jet could have caused the tail section to break free.
The heroic character 'Barry Kane' confronts 'Frank Fry'...( the spy/terrorist/inside plant)...who passes a fire "extinguisher" full of gas to Kane so he can put out the flames.
The movies' tagline: "IT CAN'T HAPPEN HERE...but every jolting scene is TRUE"....(see:"imdb.com")seems to smack the ring of fact upon one's head, gray matter and credulity.
I'm proud to be among the 'no-tin-foil-hat'zone, but something here is not passing the smell test.
Best FReegards.