11/12 Extra: Plane crashes in New York

[russotto]

Originally posted by CharlieG


Still looks mechanical, but WHY it came apart in air is a GOOD question, in particular if BOTH engines came off - The other question is the vertical stabilizer (as you said)

Apparently the pylons which hold the engines on have been problems in the past. Combine catastrophic engine failure (which is going to cause a lot of a torque!) with pylons that are perhaps already suffering metal fatigue, and you have an engine which comes off.