WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The National Transportation Safety Board recommended Tuesday that fuel pumps in certain jet engines be modified and regularly inspected to prevent breakdowns that could result in engine accelerations even when pilots are attempting to decelerate.

The fuel pumps are found in Pratt & Whitney JT8D-15 engines, which are used on many Boeing 737-100 and 737-200, Boeing 727, DC-9 and MD-80 series airplanes.

In a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration, the NTSB noted a series of incidents evidently caused by misaligned and worn fuel pump control shafts.

If the control shaft fails, the engine automatically runs at 90 to 95 percent of full power to insure that power isn't lost at a critical time, like takeoff.

At takeoff, that could help but at other times it could pose a problem, the NTSB said. The only way to reduce power is to turn off the engine.

None of the incidents reported resulted in deaths, although four passengers were injured when a Saudi Arabian Airlines jet ran off the runway last year.

It was that incident that led to the latest examination of the fuel pumps. The NTSB said the pilot of the Boeing 737-200 was on a takeoff roll at Najran, Saudi Arabia, on September 6, 1997, when he noticed an illuminated temperature light for his No. 2 engine.

The pilot attempted to reduce the thrust, but the engine remained at high power, the NTSB said, and the plane rolled off the left side of the runway.

Four of the 79 passengers were injured while evacuating the plane, which was ultimately destroyed by fire.

In another incident, a Delta 727 accelerated without prompting while in flight on October 17, 1997. The pilot diverted the plane from New York's La Guardia Airport to John F. Kennedy International Airport.

The NTSB said Argo-Tech Corp., manufacturers of the fuel pumps, and Pratt & Whitney have made improvements to the pumps and recommended routine maintenance, but the NTSB wants the FAA to make the modifications and inspections mandatory.

The NTSB also asked the FAA to address the broader issue of automatic engine responses such as that caused by a fuel pump breakdown.

The FAA said it had no comment Tuesday as it had just received the recommendations. It has 90 days to respond to the NTSB recommendations.