Peggy Phillips, a retired nurse, was sitting a row in front of Jennifer Riordan when the engine exploded on Southwest Airlines Flight 1380 from New York to Dallas.

She has told of the terrifying moments where shrapnel struck Riordan's window and pulled her through the hole and almost completely sucked her out of the aircraft.

Phillips has recounted those moments to US network ABC and how despite everyone's best efforts, Riordan could not be saved.

Inside the cabin of #SouthwestAirlines 1380, via Twitter user Matt Tranchen. Blown window. pic.twitter.com/2QyjHByfih

— Doug Dunbar (@cbs11doug) April 17, 2018

"The window had broken and the suction, the negative pressure, had pulled her outside the plane partially," she said. "These two wonderful men the EMT and a passenger managed to get her back inside the plane and we lay her down and we started CPR."

By this stage, Ms Phillips had abandoned her own oxygen mask to help revive Riordan but there was little that could be done because of the trauma she suffered.

"If you can possibly imagine going through the window of an aeroplane at about 600mph (965km/h), and hitting either the fuselage or the wing with your body, with your face ... I can probably tell you that there was significant trauma to the body," she said. "Significant head trauma, facial trauma."

"I don't consider myself a hero by any stretch, but there were heroes on that plane," she said. "I just did what I do. I did what needed to be done, what any registered nurse would do."

Despite their efforts, Riordan was pronounced dead at a Philadelphia hospital after the plane made an emergency landing.

Riordan was an executive for the bank Wells Fargo and was on her way home from a business trip when she died.

In a statement, Riordan's loved ones called her "the bedrock" of the family.

Marty Martinez, left, appears with other passengers after a jet engine blew out on the Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 plane. Photo / AP

"We are so appreciative of the outpouring of support from family, friends and our community. We do ask that those who seek to express their condolences and prayers as well as media outlets respect our privacy at this time. Our family and friends need this time to both grieve and celebrate Jennifer's impact on us all. In her memory — please remember to always be kind, loving, caring, and sharing."

 

Phillips said all 143 passengers on board knew something was not right shortly after take off.

"All of us thought this might be it. Shortly after takeoff we heard a loud noise and the plane started shaking like nothing I've ever experienced before," she said. "It sounded like the plane was coming apart. It was terrifying."

The engine on a Southwest Airlines plane is inspected as it sits on the runway at the Philadelphia International Airport. Photo / AP