AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has opened an investigation into an airplane parts supplier for Boeing after multiple incidents involving Boeing planes.
Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc. produces the fuselages for Boeing’s 737 MAX planes. That model of plane is used by numerous airlines, including Alaska Airlines.
On Jan. 5, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 suffered a blowout of a door-plug panel during a flight, which sparked a national conversation about the safety of Boeing planes and launched a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation into the incident.
In a preliminary report, NTSB said four bolts that kept the door plug in place were missing due to maintenance work to repair damaged rivets last September. A Spirit AeroSystems crew did those repairs, but the NTSB said in early March that it did not know who removed and replaced the door, as Boeing declined repeated requests for their names.
Paxton says he has the authority to investigate Spirit AeroSystems under the Texas Business Organizations Code, which allows the attorney general to request to examine documents related to an incident. Paxton is asking the company to release any documents related to manufacturing defects in its products.
“The potential risks associated with certain airplane models are deeply concerning and potentially life-threatening to Texans,” said Paxton in a news release. “I will hold any company responsible if they fail to maintain the standards required by the law and will do everything in my power to ensure manufacturers take passenger safety seriously.”
Along with the request for documents related to manufacturing defects, Paxton also requested that Spirit AeroSystems release documents related to its “diversity, equity, and inclusion commitments, and whether those commitments are unlawful or are compromising the company’s manufacturing processes.”
This request comes after a new law went into effect Jan. 1 banning diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at public universities.