an2
yes, I was living in San Francisco at the time and recall driving out to see the JAL...autopilot booboo or really a misunderstanding by the crew of the way autopilot was to be used, coupled with the so called, "black hole" effect of landing over water into SF's runway at night.
Somehow I think the concept of 2 engine vs 4 engine over water ops is the main point of the thread. Just to clarify, I think a good 4 engine plane is better at over water ops than a good 2 engine plane.
I think the reasons to deploy 2 engine over water planes are economic. I still recall the first TWA flight on two engines across the atlantic. Everyone shook their head and said: why?
And that if a malfunction happens, the remaining engines or engine should be used to get the plane to the best and nearest airport.
A quick question for the 747 guys: can the 747 fly on one engine? I thought I read it can, provided the operating engine is an inboard engine (ie: 2 or 3) and the weight/ altitude/ temps are all ok.
j