Speedtape on VivaAerobus wing
 

Passengers on Mexican budget carrier VivaAerobus were alarmed to see what appeared to be a gaping hole above one of the engines on a domestic flight from Monterrey to Tampico last week.

One passenger filmed the makeshift repair out his window and posted a clip to YouTube saying: “Some people take very seriously the saying that the duct tape fixes everything” (translated).

The airline has released a statement saying it “deeply regrets” the situation and the unease it caused passengers.

https://s.yimg.com/ea/img/-/140708/v...gr-19rn5h0.jpg

So did the hole open up in flight or did it happen in flight?

Well from the picture it very much looks like an access hole with the access panel missing or removed, hence the speed tape application badly applied perhaps..

I can't speak for open access holes, but speed tape repair / protection is allowable under the AMM in some circumstances.