The Nation - News from Jan. 22, 1989

A Piedmont Airlines jet whose engine fell off had not yet undergone safety modifications ordered by the Federal Aviation Administration, an official said. The official added, however, that it was too soon to know whether the modifications could have been a factor in preventing the incident Friday. The right engine tore away from the Boeing 737-200 jet on Flight 1480 as it left Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. Two months ago, the FAA ordered all Boeing 737-200 engines to be equipped with additional engine supports. The FAA order said the support could be added anytime within the next 4,000 landings, and the aircraft, built in 1981, had to his knowledge not made that many subsequent landings, said William Bruce, who is heading an investigation for the National Transportation Safety Board.