Originally Posted by GearUp CheerUp
I believe the reason is so that in the event of an uncontained engine failure (turbine disc bursting) the bits that come out like a bomb going off wont go in to the fuel tanks or sever hydraulic lines or destroy the integrity of the wing.
While this scenario does occasionally happen, it is very rare, and turbine discs undergo extreme scrutiny in certification, manufacturing quality, and periodic maintenance inspection to preclude this sort of failure, which is literally impossible to contain. In addition, such highly-loaded rotating parts have life limits placed on them at the time of certification.
And all aircraft types with tail-hung engines have had very serious failures that have either penetrated the cabin or caused major aircraft systems damage. So, you may not be any better off with engines in back.