On July 2nd a 737-200 departing from Honolulu experienced engine trouble shortly after take-off. The flight ended with the flight crew having to ditch the aircraft and being rescued by the Coast Guard.
Starting at 4:15 in this video the pilot states that the remaining engine is running hot. This is conjecture on my part, but I wonder whether the cause of the engine running hot has something to do with what made the first engine fail.
So my question is: Are there special aspects about the older 737-200 (that may have been fixed in later models of the 737) that could result in both engines failing at around the same time? I have no knowledge about the 737 in general, but an example could be a joint oil reservoir, a pilot action related to the fuel management, or something similar.
Also, related more-so to flight operations: Why would the flight crew choose to fly out over open water instead of returning and landing, or, at least staying closer to the airport?