Texas AG Ken Paxton announces investigation into Boeing parts supplier linked to crashes
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The Texas attorney general's office is investigating one of the largest manufacturers of aircraft assembly parts amid reports that possible defects in some of the company's components might be linked to deadly crashes and at least one in-flight emergency involving Boeing jetliners.
Attorney General Ken Paxton in a statement said he is demanding access to a wide range of documents generated and maintained by Spirit AeroSystems of Wichita, Kan., that might shed light on possible product defects and whether the company's "diversity, equity and inclusion" policies might have contributed to any flaws in the production of the parts it has supplied to Boeing.
Paxton, in investigating the Boeing spinoff and current parts supplier, is looking into any possible connections between Spirit AeroSystems' products and several deadly crashes in recent years. One of the things the three-term Republican is seeking is whether the company's DEI policies can be linked to flawed parts.
"The potential risks associated with certain airplane models are deeply concerning and potentially life-threatening to Texans,” Paxton said in the statement. “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.”
Even though Spirit AeroSystems is not a Texas company, the attorney general's office said it has authority under the Texas Business Organizations Code "to investigate the company’s organization, conduct, and management by requesting to examine pertinent documents."
The attorney general's office said it is requesting DEI information to determine whether the company's diversity "commitments are unlawful or are compromising the company’s manufacturing processes."
In a written statement to news outlets, Spirit AeroSystems spokesman Joe Buccino said, "While we do not comment on investigations, Spirit is wholly focused on providing the highest quality products to all our customers, to include the Boeing Company.”
After a panel blew off an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max jetliner during a Jan. 5 flight from Portland, Ore., to Ontario, Calif., the National Transportation Safety Board in a preliminary report said it appeared that four key bolts were missing from the fuselage when it was shipped from Spirit's manufacturing facility.
The panel was ripped from the aircraft at 16,000 feet altitude with 171 passengers aboard. Seven of them, along with one member of the flight crew, suffered minor injuries, and the plane was forced to return to Portland for an emergency landing.
More: Seat belt 'saved' life of passenger on Boeing 737 Max flight that lost panel, lawsuit says
In 2018 and 2019, two crashes involving Boeing Max jets resulted in almost 350 deaths.
The manufacturing operation that became Spirit AeroSystems had been a part of Boeing's operations for several decades before being sold off in 2005. Earlier this year, Boeing announced it was in talks to buy back the company.
The Texas attorney general's office has given Spirit until April 17 to produce the documents it is seeking, and it has not provided a timeline for when its investigation will be completed.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Ken Paxton opens investigation into Boeing's airline parts company
