This one is from 1993:
It is surprising this dual failure mode doesn’t happen more often.
I recall reading of similar scenarios from the last days of piston airliners, where a seizure of an engine would enable the prop shaft to snap, and the prop, still rotating at some 2000rpm, would “go for a flight”, usually ahead and around the airliner… with the pilots wondering if it is going to hit them.
Dual engine stoppage from fuel issues (including air duct icing) is probably a lot more common.
Another curious occurrence described by the late Hal Stoen: a dual engine failure on a Cessna 421, which indeed happened from fuel issues, but quite the opposite to what one could suspect: the fuel pump was so powerful that when one engine stopped during approach, the other one quit from flooding.
I do wonder why some of these old piston twins have more ways to screw up the fuel system than a 747 
It’s the main reason I stick with Pipers and avoid Cessnas.
An example, which I can’t currently find, is a USAAF 4 engine (B-17 maybe) losing two engines on the same side mid-Pacific. They only regained control in ground effect (water effect?) and flew home at 20ft. The pilot must have had very strong legs.
There must have been many losses of 2 engines on the same side in the 1940 – 1945 period. Not due to engine reliability.
As a kid, early 1950s, I remember seeing 4 engine trainers, Avro Shakletons, chop 2 engines on the same side. A very noticeable wing and nose drop resulted before continuing.
It is said that an EFATO in a Mosquito just after takeoff was unrecoverable and immediately fatal, even before the other engine could be throttled back.
…and apparently in the Canberra, it took around 300lbs of force on the rudder pedal at climb speed to keep the thing going straight on one engine!
Maoraigh wrote:
There must have been many losses of 2 engines on the same side in the 1940 – 1945 period. Not due to engine reliability.
In films, you see two engines on fire, I wonder how much of that is realistic?
On airliners side, most of dual engine accidents were from fuel system internal issues or ingestion from external environment (e.g. volcanic ash, hail, water, birds…), but some few ones were plain human mistakes (switching off the wrong engine)
I would be curious to see a case of an airliner that had “unrelated” mechanical/structural problem on both engines?
The closest I can think was the UA232 DC10 flight, it had a structural failure in the tail engine due to fatigue cracks and total loss of hydraulics/cooling components but the main 2-engines kept operative until they crash landed…
Capitaine wrote:
An example, which I can’t currently find
I found it: Flying magazine March 1958, link to google books, pages 27-28, 52, 54, 56. It was actually a C-97 Stratofreighter, and I do recommend taking a look at the article.
