But Mr. Sumwalt said it was too soon to reach conclusions on the cause of the engine failure. He did say parts of the exterior of the plane’s engine had been recovered on the ground in a rural area outside Philadelphia. The European Aviation Safety Agency established such regulations for European carriers in late March. Metal fatigue, which investigators suspect is a factor in this week’s engine failure, can be a visible or an invisible weakness that is the result of bending, vibration or other stress. If it turns out that this week’s engine failure had the same root cause, said Robert W. Mann, an airline analyst based in Port Washington, N.Y., the need to inspect 737 engines could be much more urgent.

Source: New York Times April 19, 2018 00:22 UTC