Considering whether one or two engines is safer today not is not a simple common sense issue.
My memory may be letting me down but I seem to recall that the first total losses of a Tornado, Alphajet and Erofighter were all total power faiulures.
In my experience the most likely cause of engine failure in a single engine aircraft is an engine control system problem rather than the mechanical bits letting go. Which is why we fitted an additional emergency Manual Fuel System in later Harriers.
When the USN specified a twin engine aircraft for their new (now current) trainer (way back) a single engine solution based on the Hawk was clearly non-compliant. Kingston submiited the case as to why in the modern world and for this job one engine was safer when flying from a USN carrier and were able to convince the USN by engineering arguement that this was indeed so. So the single engined Goshawk was chosen over a real twin (Alphajet based) and several US industry based paper twins.
Last edited by John Farley; 9th Dec 2012 at 17:37.