A B747-400 RELIEF PILOT REPORTS THE MAINT INFO GIVEN ON THEIR ACFT THAT 'SPARKS HAD BEEN OBSERVED BY PAX AFTER TKOF;' WHILE THE MAINT SIGN-OFF STATED 'NO ABNORMALITIES NOTED;' WAS NOT ADEQUATE. ENG LATER FAILED IN FLIGHT.

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THIS RPT INTENDED AS FOLLOW UP TO PREVIOUSLY FILED RPTS CONCERNING THIS FLT. WHEREAS OUR FLT CREW WAS GIVEN MAINT INFO ON OUR ACFT THAT INDICATED THAT 'SPARKS HAD BEEN OBSERVED BY A PAX LEAVING ZZZZ;' AND THE MAINT WRITE-OFF ON THIS MATTER WAS 'NO ABNORMALITIES NOTED.' IT WAS LATER FOUND THAT THERE WAS QUITE A BIT MORE INFO AVAILABLE REGARDING THIS PARTICULAR ENG (#1). THE PREVIOUS RPT NOW CONTAINS MAINT EXPLANATIONS REGARDING THIS MATTER WHICH STATE THAT ZZZZ HAD PERFORMED MAINT ON THIS ENG FOLLOWING WHAT APPEARS TO BE ANOTHER RPT OF SPARKS EMANATING FROM THE SAME ENG. (THE ENG WAS CHKED GOOD BY ZZZZ MAINT ON JUN/XA/08; AFTER A FLT ATTENDANT RPTED 'SPARKS' COMING FROM ENG PER MR X.) FURTHER THERE ARE RPTS OF MAINT AND ENGINEERING AT ACR HAVING DATA SHOWING 'EXCEEDANCES' ON THIS ENG ON THE LEG PRIOR TO OUR FLT. WE (THE FLT CREW) DID NOT KNOW ABOUT THE PREVIOUS INCIDENT; THE EXCEEDANCES OR THE ASSOCIATION OF THE ENG PROB WITH A DIFFERENT WRITE-UP CONCERNING THE TURBINE CASE COOLING. WITH REGARD TO FUTURE FLTS; AND IN KEEPING WITH OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO ADVOCATE ACTIONS BASED ON INFO ABOUT THE STATUS OF AN ACFT THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS ARE POSED: 1) HOW CAN A FLT CREW BEST INFORM ITSELF OF ALL ASPECTS OF AN ACFT'S STATUS? 2) WHAT SOURCES ARE AVAILABLE TO US TO SEE A MORE COMPLETE HISTORY OF AN ACFT'S STATUS? 3) WITH REGARD TO PROBLEMATIC AREAS OF THE ACFT; WHAT DATA IS REQUIRED TO BE PROVIDED TO THE FLT CREW BY ACR MAINT? CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: REPORTER STATED HE IS RAISING THE ISSUE ABOUT THE LACK OF TRANSPARENCY OR ACCESSIBILITY REGARDING ADEQUATE MAINT INFORMATION AVAILABLE TO FLIGHT CREWS ESPECIALLY DURING PREFLIGHT. AFTER A PREVIOUS REPORT BY A PASSENGER ON THEIR B747-400 ACFT; ABOUT 'SPARKS EMANATING FROM THE #1 ENG AFTER TKOF;' BUT SIGNED-OFF AS 'NO ABNORMALITIES NOTED;' HE DECIDED TO SIT IN A PAX SEAT DURING TKOF AND NOTED 'TRAILS OF LIGHT EXITING THE #1 ENGINE'. THE SPARKS STOPPED AFTER THEY LEVELED OFF. BUT LATER IN THE FLIGHT; WHILE HE WAS BACK IN THE COCKPIT; THE ACFT EXPERIENCED A SEVERE YAW; THE #1 ENGINE HAD A RAPID EGT RISE; THEN THE EGT REDLINED; A LOSS OF ENGINE THRUST FOLLOWED AND THE ENGINE SHUTDOWN. REPORTER STATED THEY WERE NOT MADE AWARE OF ANOTHER PREVIOUS SECOND PAX REPORT FOR THE SAME ISSUE OF SPARKS EXITING THE ENGINE; NOR THE MAINT WORK DONE ON THE #1 ENGINE PRIOR TO DEPARTURE UNTIL AFTER THEY LANDED WITH THE FAILED ENGINE.