[metanoia]

I listened to the ATC tapes on LiveATC (and now can be found compiled by VASAviation on YouTube).

When DL98 first declare an emergency, Socal asks the crew if they need to dump fuel and they indicate they do not, but end up doing it anyway, even at low altitudes. Something happened along the way that made them decide to dump fuel and try to get under max landing weight, but when you're single engine, you want to get down on a runway ASAP as you don't know that the problem affecting one engine won't happen to the other.

I am not a 777 driver, but an overweight landing is always an option - in fact, required when you're single-engine. Checklists for engine out say "land at nearest suitable airport." Holding and dumping/burning fuel is, in my limited knowledge, reserved for instances where there is a fault that prevents forward progress but does not necessitate an emergency landing.

Can't think of any examples off the top of my head right now though.