FAA Airworthiness Directive proposes engine cowling redesigns on all 737NG aircraft

A proposed Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airworthiness Directive (AD) has recommended a redesign of all Boeing 737NG engine cowlings. The AD was prompted by what the FAA describes as ‘two engine fan blade-out events that resulted in the separation of engine inlet cowl and fan cowl parts from the airplane’. During a fatal event in 2018, a fractured fan blade and subsequent engine failure on board a Southwest Airlines 737-700 resulted in the death of a passenger, injuring eight others. In a separate Southwest Airlines incident, fan cowl parts punctured the fuselage and caused a loss of pressurisation; necessitating an