suninmyeyes
are you thinking of the world airways DC10 at Boston? Autothrottles were part of it,even the engine kept running after it went into the water.
here is the report:
http://www.airdisaster.com/reports/ntsb/AAR85-06.pdf
while I understand everything you have written about the 777, I also know that if you only take the elevator between floors on a skyscraper (for british folk, THE LIFT on a tall building), then if the elevator fails you will not be in shape to take the stairs.
dear pilots, take the stairs!