Big Pistons, I marvel at your faith in the collection of stressed rotating and reciprocating parts, held apart by a microscopic film of oil without which it will destroy itself within seconds, that comprises an aircraft engine. And we are talking not modern highly-developed, superbly engineered, highly computer-controlled very well developed modern automobile engines, but an old technology air cooled 1930s engine similar to what used to power classic Brit motorbikes, only larger.
I had a BSA 650 in the early 60s that never let me down once, from one end of the country to the other in some pretty filthy weather at times.
I now have it's bigger brother in the form of a Continental C90 up front and it too has never missed a beat in the 7 yrs it's been pulling me around. 3100 hrs in the book.
I've just fitted an electric fuel pump which the a/c didn't have before. If there is a time when I might expect an EFATO it will be the next time I leave the ground. There will be a considerable amount of taxi time & full power run ups before that happens.
I wonder how many failures occur just after maintenance, and how many are maintained by the owner, (permit types) versus maintained by commercial ops?