The Texas Attorney General’s Office has opened an investigation targeting Spirit Aerosystems, a subcontractor of the American aircraft manufacturer Boeing, where “recurring problems with certain parts” have been identified, according to a press release.
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Spirit AeroSystems manufactures fuselages and other large structural parts for aircraft, including Boeing’s flagship aircraft, the 737.
“Apparent manufacturing defects have led to numerous worrying or dangerous incidents” on 737 models, detailed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in a press release Thursday.
At the beginning of January, Boeing came close to disaster when a cap door came loose from the cabin in mid-flight on an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9, fortunately causing only a few minor injuries.
Several investigations have been launched, highlighting recurring problems of “non-compliance”.
Justice is now asking Spirit AeroSystems to produce “documents corresponding to the treatment of defects in its products”, and in addition to quality control, the investigation is also interested in its mode of organization and management.
The investigation comes just days after the announcement of the departure at the end of the year of Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun.
“I will consider responsible any company that fails to guarantee the required legal standards and will do everything in my power to ensure that manufacturers take the safety of passengers seriously,” said prosecutor Ken Paxton, in his press release. .
The American giant Boeing, which had already struggled to recover after two crashes in 2018 and 2019, is in turmoil after a succession of quality and safety problems on its planes for more than a year.
