ANSWERS: 3
  • Ugh. A modern day passenger plane with two engines flying at altitude will be able to maintain its altitude and land safely if it loses an engine. However, if a plane loaded with fuel and loses an engine on take-off, that's another story entirely.
  • Actually, it is a requirement for certification of any multiengine jet that (at max gross weight) it be able to either abort or safely continue a takeoff (depending on where in the takeoff sequence the failure occurs) in the event of an engine failure at the worst conceivable time. In terms of the airplane itself, this has to be demonstrated when the aircraft is certified, and further, pilots have to demonstrate proficiency at engine-out aborts/continued takeoffs *every single time* they undergo recurrent training, in a simulator. Take a look at the accident record--there have been very few crashes caused by engine failures on takeoff. Does it ever happen? Sure. But the odds are stacked impressively against it, and among the causes of airline crashes, engine failure at takeoff or any other phase of flight is very low on the list of causes. When it does happen, there are almost always other contributing factors besides the engine failure itself.
  • It certainly is. Specifically for a twin engine jet, the requirement is known as ETOPS - Extended Range Twin Engine Operations.

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