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From: ted@bcsaic.UUCP (ted jardine)
Newsgroups: net.aviation
Subject: Re: More on the Air India Crash
Message-ID: <194@bcsaic.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 16-Jul-85 19:46:50 EDT
Article-I.D.: bcsaic.194
Posted: Tue Jul 16 19:46:50 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 21-Jul-85 02:24:36 EDT
References: <1984@ut-ngp.UTEXAS> <11505@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Reply-To: ted@bcsaic.UUCP (ted jardine)
Distribution: net
Organization: Boeing Computer Services AI Center, Seattle
Lines: 41

In article <11505@brl-tgr.ARPA> wmartin@brl-bmd.UUCP writes:
> ...
>>> The New York Times quoted a report in the Montreal Gazette saying that
>>> the Air-India crash might have occurred because of the structural breakdown
>>> of the plane caused by it carrying a fifth defective engine.  According to
>>> the Air-India office as well as the Boeing company spokesman, this was a
>>> routine practice by all airlines and such an act could not have caused a
>>> structural breakdown in the plane.
>>> 
>This has been extracted from a 200+ line posting on net.nlang.india.
>
>Does anyone have any idea as to what the paragraph above means? Does it
>indicate that the plane had a fifth engine somewhere on board? (In the
>cargo hold? Would a 747 engine fit inside the cargo space of a
>passenger-carrying 747 version?) Or does it mean that one engine had been
>replaced five times, due to defects, and that the repeated replacements
>caused weakening? Or what? 
>
>Thanks for your advice; it might be that this is simply garbled and
>meaningless, but I'm not sure...
>
>Regards, 
>Will Martin
>
>USENET: seismo!brl-bmd!wmartin     or   ARPA/MILNET: wmartin@almsa-1.ARPA

It was not garbled.  I don't know about the specific configuration of the
Air India 747 in question, but the Boeing 747 has the capability for a
fifth engine to be mounted externally, just as the other four are.  The
purpose is to permit engines, whether servicable or not, to be transported.
This is especially important to international air carriers (including U.S.
flag carriers).  While the fifth engine has some minimal effect on drag and
fuel consumption, it is a very routine operation and is perfectly safe.
Certainly if the 747 can carry the Space Shuttle on its back, it should have
no problem with a fifth engine.  Any speculation that a possible fifth engine
caused a structural failure is just that -- speculation.  Hope this helps.

TJ (with Amazing Grace) The Piper
(aka Ted Jardine)
Boeing Artificial Intelligence Center
...uw-beaver!uw-june!bcsaic!ted