Boeing set to redesign plane engine covers after fatal accident

Boeing is set to redesign the engine covers of its 737NG aircraft after a tragic accident that saw a mother-of-two be sucked out of the plane.

The incident, which occurred in April 2018, was due to an engine fan blade break which tore through the engine cover before hitting the fuselage near a window. As a result, the passenger was partially sucked out of the aircraft and died.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) looked into the accident and said the 24 blades in the plane's CFM-56-7B engine were 18 years old and had been used on more than 32,000 flights before that day.

One of the blades was already cracked when it was last overhauled and the damage was not spotted. Inspections are now more rigorous and regular.

NTSB chairman Robert Sumwalt said engine and aircraft manufacturers should develop stronger designs for engine covers.

Older aircraft of the same model should then be retro-fitted with the new design, he added.

"That translates to a better chance that damage to the aircraft will be minimised during a (broken fan blade) event, improving the safety of the flying public."