The Texas Attorney General's Office began an investigation against Spirit Aerosystemsa subcontractor of the American aircraft manufacturer Boeing, in which “recurring problems with certain parts”, as indicated by the justice of that state in the southern United States.
The investigations launched have already highlighted recurring problems of “non-compliance” by Spirit AeroSystems, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement Thursday.
Spirit AeroSystems makes fuselages and other large structural parts for airplanes, including Boeing's flagship aircraft, the 737.
“Apparent manufacturing defects have caused numerous worrying or dangerous incidents” in the 737 models, the Texas prosecutor detailed.
In early January, Boeing entered a serious crisis after an aircraft door came off in mid-flight in a 737 MAX 9 of the Alaska Airline companys, although fortunately it did not end in disgrace and only some minor injuries were recorded.
Justice now asks Spirit AeroSystems to present “documents corresponding to the treatment of defects in its products” and also provide details of the quality control of the parts. The research is also interested in their way of organizing tasks and management.
“I will hold accountable any company that does not ensure the required legal standards and will do everything in my power to ensure that manufacturers take passenger safety seriously,” stressed Ken Paxton.
The investigation comes just days after the announcement of the departure, at the end of the year, of Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun.
The American aeronautical giant had already struggled to recover after two serious accidents involving its planes. in 2018 and 2019 that forced it to ground its 737 MAX models for 20 months.
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Other investigations that have Boeing in their sights
The American civil aviation agency (FAA) opened an investigation after an incident occurred on Thursday on a Southwest company Boeing 737, which reported a “engine problem” just before takeoff.
Southwest Airlines Flight 1928 “safely aborted its takeoff taxi” after the crew flagged a “possible engine issue,” the airline said in an email to AFP on Friday.
The regulatory agency indicated that it “will investigate” the incident that occurred around 5:45 p.m. local time (10:45 p.m. GMT) on Thursday.
The plane, which was supposed to fly to Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas (Nevada), “returned to the gate under its own power,” the airline explained, adding that it took the 154 passengers to their destination on Thursday in the night aboard another aircraft.
According to records of exchanges between the control tower and the cockpit, available on a specialized site consulted by AFP, the pilot mentions “overheating of the brakes” and “fire at the level of the left engine.”
The incident adds to the problems facing Boeing, which recently announced changes among its management following the almost catastrophic incident in a fuselage panel of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 in mid-flight.
It also marks the second time in less than two weeks that a Southwest flight has reported difficulties.
On March 23, another Southwest plane that was supposed to land at New York's LaGuardia airport was diverted to Baltimore-Washington, which is also the subject of an investigation by the FAA.
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