Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Thursday announced an investigation into Boeing parts supplier Spirit AeroSystems regarding its operations, in addition to the corporate’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
Spirit AeroSystems is one in all the biggest manufacturers of aircraft parts on the earth and makes the fuselages for the Boeing 737 and 787, in addition to the Airbus A350 and the wings for the A220. The corporate’s work with Boeing has faced scrutiny within the wake of the midair blowout of a 737 Max 9’s door plug panel.
Paxton notified Spirit AeroSystems of the investigation in a letter requesting that the corporate produce documents related to manufacturing defects in its products. He can also be calling for the corporate to provide documents related to its DEI commitments and whether those commitments are compromising its manufacturing processes.
“The potential risks related to certain airplane models are deeply concerning and potentially life-threatening to Texans,” Paxton said in a press release. “I’ll hold any company responsible in the event that they fail to take care of the standards required by law and can do every thing in my power to make sure manufacturers take passenger safety seriously.”
Spirit AeroSystems didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced the probe on Thursday. AP
The corporate faces a deadline of April 17 to offer the requested documents to the patron protection division of the attorney general’s office.
Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems have been under increased scrutiny following the door plug panel blowout incident on Jan. 5.
A preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) indicated that 4 key missing bolts on the door plug frame contributed to the incident, which caused the cabin to depressurize and the Alaska Airlines flight to return to Oregon’s Portland International Airport for an emergency landing.
Make amends for Boeing’s ongoing airplane fiasco
Boeing has recently been tormented by safety concerns that began Jan. 5 after a door panel blew off a Boeing 737 MAX 9 jet during a flight from Oregon to California. In keeping with the National Transportation Safety Board, the plane — which was operated by Alaska Airlines — gave the impression to be missing 4 key bolts.
Scott Kirby, CEO of United Airlines, threatened to shun Boeing after the carrier’s fleet of MAX 9 aircraft was grounded within the wake of the near-disastrous Alaska Airlines door blowout.
Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, warned that one other midair door blowout just like the Boeing 737 MAX 9 fiasco “can occur again,” adding there was a “problem with the method” of production.
Disaster struck again every week after the initial incident when a Boeing plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Japan as a consequence of a crack within the cockpit window.
A Boeing 757 lost its front tire because the aircraft was preparing to depart for a global flight in late January. At Atlanta International Airport, a Delta flight certain for Bogota, Colombia, was taxiing across the runway into takeoff position when one other plane alerted the control tower that something was amiss.
Later, a UK passenger was alarmed after noticing pieces of tape on the outside of a Boeing 787 during a flight to India, as seen in shocking photos.
A United Airlines Boeing 777-300 aircraft suffered a midair fuel leak and was forced to make an emergency landing Monday, March 11, marking the fifth incident the airline reported in a bit of over every week.
Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary previously said he’s made “loud complaints” to Boeing over quality control.
Whistleblower John Barnett raised safety concerns on the airline’s factories and provided his first testimony at a bombshell lawsuit against Boeing. He was found dead in his truck after he failed to point out up for the second a part of his testimony on Monday.
The incident caused the grounding of all 737 Max 9 aircraft for inspections. The aircraft returned to service in late January following inspections by airlines, the Federal Aviation Administration and the manufacturers.
Other incidents have added to the aerospace corporations’ woes, corresponding to Boeing’s identification of misdrilled holes on 50 undelivered fuselages of 737 Max jets.
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun, who announced this week that he’ll step down from his role at the top of this yr, visited Spirit AeroSystems about two weeks after the Jan. 5 incident.
The headquarters of Spirit AeroSystems Holdings Inc. REUTERS
Boeing is in discussions with Spirit AeroSystems about potentially acquiring the supplier, which was formerly a Boeing subsidiary before it was spun off.
A month ago, Spirit confirmed that it’s in talks with Boeing about its potential acquisition, even though it noted that there may be uncertainty surrounding whether an agreement will likely be reached and consummated.
