Boeing Under Fire in New Documentary

The aviation industry has been rocked by a new documentary that sheds light on the alleged safety scandal surrounding Boeing. Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing, directed by Rory Kennedy, opens with a rundown of a significant development in the story: the mysterious death in March 2024 of John Barnett, a former Boeing employee turned whistleblower.

Barnett, a contributor in Kennedy's previous documentary Downfall: The Case Against Boeing, was in the middle of a deposition when he was found dead at his hotel, which investigators ruled a suicide. The film's contributors claim that this is another casualty to add to Boeing's mounting death toll, and that the alarming aviation safety scandal is still ongoing.

The documentary features interviews with Boeing whistleblowers who have gone public since the last film, inspired by it. They claim that the company's leadership is more concerned with maximising shareholder profit than with ensuring product quality, employee welfare, or public safety. Hidden camera footage from Boeing's Dreamliner assembly plant in South Carolina shows anonymised workers averring that nothing - not even a free luxury holiday - could tempt them to fly on the planes they manufacture.

The film also features reconstruction of a January 2024 incident when a door plug blew out mid-flight on a 737 Max, and several passenger oxygen masks malfunctioned. Barnett had warned of this danger years earlier, but his concerns were ignored, and he was disciplined for having raised them.

The Boeing leadership is accused of ignoring warnings and prioritising profit over safety. The company's former CEO, Dave Calhoun, was challenged by Missouri senator Josh Hawley on his $32.8m 2023 salary, which was up 45% from 2022.

Rory Kennedy is not just any filmmaker; she is one of the Kennedys, the youngest child of the former senator and US attorney general Robert F Kennedy and his wife, Ethel Kennedy. This is a film-maker who understands not only what it feels like to lose family in a sudden and shocking tragedy but also those Camelot-era American values of progress and public service - values Boeing itself once exemplified.

The documentary echoes a string of other recent documentaries on how unregulated capital has infiltrated and corrupted diverse industries. The pattern of allegations is always the same: an incoming CEO seeks to maximise shareholder profit, whatever the cost to product quality, employee welfare, or public safety; warnings are ignored; disaster occurs, then blame is shifted, often with breathtaking shamelessness, on to the dead.

In response to the film-makers' requests for comment, Boeing stated that some of the claims against the company "remain unfounded" and that "others are issues that Boeing thoroughly addressed or continues to improve upon".

### Boeing's Response to the Documentary

Boeing has responded to the documentary's allegations, stating that some claims are unfounded and that others have been addressed or are being improved upon. However, the film's contributors remain unconvinced, claiming that nothing will change until the individuals in Boeing's failed leadership face criminal prosecution.

### The Call for Accountability

The documentary's contributors are calling for accountability from Boeing's leadership, claiming that the company's profit-driven culture has led to the deaths of 346 people. They argue that until the individuals responsible face justice, nothing will change, and the aviation industry will continue to be at risk.

### The Impact of the Documentary

The documentary is likely to have a significant impact on the aviation industry, highlighting the need for greater accountability and transparency. It also raises questions about the role of regulatory bodies, such as the FAA, in ensuring public safety.

### A Call to Action

The documentary ends with a call to action, urging viewers to demand greater accountability from Boeing's leadership and to support those who are fighting for justice. It is a powerful reminder of the need for transparency and accountability in the aviation industry.