DURING DSCNT; THIS B727 HAD ALL ENGS FLAME OUT. THE FLC INITIALLY THOUGHT IT WAS AN ELECTRICAL EMER; BUT EVENTUALLY REALIZED THE ENGS WERE NOT RUNNING. CHKLIST GOT THE ENGS BACK ONLINE; BUT WERE STILL NOT RESPONDING PROPERLY TO THROTTLE MOVEMENT. LNDG WAS UNEVENTFUL AND EVERYTHING NORMAL AFTER LNDG. INCIDENT UNDER INVESTIGATION BY THE NTSB.

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UPON STARTING OUR DSCNT FROM FL220 HEADING TOWARDS ROCKFORD; IL; WE LOST ALL OF OUR GENERATORS. THE SO MOVED THE ESSENTIAL PWR SELECTOR TO THE STANDBY MODE. STANDBY MODE IS WHEN THE ACFT IS ON BATTERY PWR (AND USUALLY LASTS APPROX 30 MINS). WE DECLARED AN EMER AND HEADED STRAIGHT TO ORD WITH VECTORS FROM ZAU. IN THE DSCNT; THE GENERATORS WERE ATTEMPTED TO BE PUT BACK ON LINE BY THE SO. UPON REACHING OUR LEVELOFF ALT OF 6000 FT; XFER OF ACFT CTL OCCURRED FROM THE FO TO THE CAPT. JUST AS WE LEVELED OFF; THE SO ASKED THE CAPT AND FO TO CONFIRM THAT ALL 3 ENGS WERE NOT OPERATING. AS WE PERFORMED THE MEMORY ITEMS FOR 'ALL ENG FAILURE;' WE WERE CLRED OUT OF OUR ALT. ROUGHLY 30-40 SECONDS LATER; ALL 3 ENGS STARTED AGAIN. A TURN TO FINAL WAS MADE AND THE CONFIGN SEQUENCE BEGAN. FLAPS FIRST THEN THE GEAR (CHKLIST CALLED FOR FLAPS 15 DEGS). THEN IT WAS NOTICED THE ACFT WAS NOT RESPONDING TO PWR INPUTS. WE NOTICED THIS AT APPROX 2000- 2500 FT. WE DOUBLECHKED THE 'ALL ENG FAILURE' MEMORY ITEMS AND NOTICED ALL SWITCHES WERE WHERE THEY WERE THE FIRST TIME WE ACCOMPLISHED THIS. THEN ROUGHLY 1-2 MI ON FINAL (WHEN WE WERE WELL BELOW GLIDE PATH); THE ENGS SPOOLED UP AND THE ELECTRICAL SYS WAS RESTORED. AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG WAS ACCOMPLISHED AT THAT TIME. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR FO SAYS THAT AT FIRST THE FLC THOUGHT THEY HAD AN ELECTRICAL FAILURE BECAUSE THE ESSENTIAL PWR LIGHT CAME ON MOMENTARILY; BUT WENT OUT AFTER AUTOMATIC XFER TO A SECONDARY PWR SOURCE. RPTR BELIEVES THAT IT WAS #1 THAT FIRST WENT OFF. THEY WERE DSNDING TO LAND AT ROCKFORD; BUT THINKING THEY HAD AN ELECTRICAL FAILURE; DECLARED AN EMER AND REQUESTED DIVERSION TO ORD. THE CAPT CALLED FOR THE LOSS OF GENERATORS CHKLIST AND AFTER THAT WAS COMPLETED THE SO NOTICED THAT THE ENGS APPEARED TO BE OUT AND ASKED THE PLTS. IT WAS THEN THEY REALIZED THAT THEY HAD ALL 3 ENGS FLAMED OUT. THEY THEN WENT THROUGH THE EMER ENG FAILED CHKLIST AND WITHIN A MIN REGAINED ALL 3 ENGS. WHEN ON FINAL APCH THE FLC NOTICED THAT THE ENGS WERE NOT RESPONDING TO THROTTLE MOVEMENT; BUT AGAIN WITHIN 2 MI THE ENGS SPOOLED UP AGAIN; THE ELECTRICAL SYS RESTORED AND AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG FOLLOWED. THE ACFT WAS TAXIED IN WITH ALL SYS NORMAL. THE FLC HAS NOT RECEIVED FEEDBACK ON THE INCIDENT; BUT NO DOUBT WILL BECAUSE IT IS BEING INVESTIGATED BY THE NTSB. RPTR SAYS THAT THEY HAD NOTHING TO HIDE WHEN THE NTSB ASKED IF THEY WANTED AN ATTORNEY PRESENT WHEN THEY WERE PROVIDING TESTIMONY IN THE HEARINGS. RPTR WAS ASKED IF; BECAUSE THE SO WAS VERY NEW ON THE ACFT; IT WAS POSSIBLE THAT THE FUEL PANEL WAS SET INCORRECTLY; AND HE SAID HE WOULDN'T WANT TO SPECULATE; BUT THAT THE #2 TANK BOOST PUMPS WERE OFF AND #1 AND #3 WERE ON AND IT WAS UNLIKELY THAT THE FUEL VALVES HAD BEEN TURNED OFF.