Denis,
Here is a much better answer. Basically we have these "pins" or connecting "bolts" that are designed to break at a certain stress and a certain way to limit the damage to the airplane in this very challenging situation. The landing gear are also designed in such a way. I hope that helps in your understanding. Perhaps you can talk to your airplane mechanics some day and have them show you exactly what this is talking about. You may have to go into a maintenance hanger to see it.
All the best.
Bill
Nacelle Break Away
For a wheels up landing, or for the case where the airplane has veered off the runway into the soft adjacent ground and broken off the main gears, the airplane is initially supported by the engines as it slides on the ground. If an overload then occurs, the strut is designed to break away without wing fuel spillage. This is accomplished by incorporating fuse pins in the strut-to-wing interface. To assure that the break-away occurs at the fuse pins, the same philosophy is used for the fuse pin and wing back-up design as for the landing gear. Nacelle break away is presently a Boeing requirement only but will probably in the very near future become a FAA requirement.
To further insure safe separation, specific design features are provided at the nacelle support fittings to control the range of motion of the nacelle during the process of fuse pin failure. Examples of such features: Aft Upper Spar Fittings attachment to the front spar where machined platforms in the fittings force a short coupling at the wing fitting attachment to the strut when the nacelle rotates upwards or downwards. A ramp is provided at the wing fitting attachment to the strut diagonal brace to ensure that the brace will be deflected away from the wing box upon fusing.
The engines and their support structure are designed to remain on the airplane for all flight conditions. Should an engine separate in flight due to conditions beyond those for which it is reasonable to design the airplane, clean separation of systems is also provided for. This is typically accomplished by planned fusing at splice points or connectors located on hard points in the structure. A specially designed fixed leading edge rib is provided just inboard of the engine to react rational combinations of break-away loads from the systems supported or passing through it.