Downfall: The Case Against Boeing

Downfall: The Case Against Boeing

Investigators reveal how Boeing’s alleged priority of profit over safety could have contributed to two catastrophic crashes within months of each other.

  • Released: 2022-02-09
  • Runtime: 89 minutes
  • Genre: Documentaries
  • Stars: John Fantasia
  • Director: Rory Kennedy
 Comments
  • ChloeMS - 18 October 2023
    From Great Engineering To Great Profits
    "When people say I changed the culture at Boeing., that was the intent, so it's run like a business rather than a great engineering firm..."

    Harry Stonecipher, former President and Chief Operating Officer of Boeing (as quoted in the Chicago Tribune) February 29, 2004.

    The rollout of the U. S. Air Force's newest inflight refueler/cargo aircraft, the Boeing KC-46, had so many problems delivery was refused. FOD (Foreign Object Debris that can cause Foreign Object Damage) was found inside the aircraft. Loose hardware and even tools were in the aircraft. Attempts were made to deliver the plane without a working RVS (Remote Vision System that replaced the older airmen in a prone, backward-facing position.)
  • fzulkadiroglu - 28 May 2022
    Documentary that met my expectations.
    Documentary that met my expectations to a great extent, revealing how Boeing, after merging with McDonnell Douglas, transformed from a company that prioritized engineering and safety to a company that only aims to make more profit. It was very clear what the Mcdonnell Douglas company cost in the Turkish Airlines accident that took place in 1974 and caused the death of 346 people. This accident occurred because the cargo door of the mcdonnell douglas dc-10 type aircraft broke during the flight. Two years ago, the cargo cover of a dc-10 belonging to american airlines was broken during the flight, but that plane was able to land without falling. Investigations after the accident of thy revealed that the problem of the cargo door was known at the design stage, but the necessary precautions were not taken.

    This documentary has clearly revealed how the cargo cover disaster, which damaged the image of mcdonnell douglas and started the process that resulted in its merger with Boeing in 1997, did not learn from the disaster, and how they carried their profit-oriented approach to Boeing without changing them. Just as the problem in the dc-10 was known at the design stage but no action was taken, the mcas system installed on the Boeing 737 max type aircraft was similarly known to be problematic at the design stage, but this fact was completely ignored. In addition, many pilots reported that they had difficulty controlling the 737 Max type aircraft even during the test phase. But as if these notifications were never made, the production of the plane continued with a problematic system. Worse still, despite the fact that the problem in the lion air crash was known to be caused by the design of the plane and the mcas, and the 737 max type planes had to be grounded immediately after that accident, they continued to fly the planes with both image concerns and the logic of "nothing will happen once." In fact, the faa does not clearly decide that max's should be withdrawn from the flight, and it is very clearly stated what the hell the institution is. After the Ethiopian Airlines accident, if the Chinese state had not taken the responsibility and taken the first step in bringing the 737 Max to the ground, it would have tried to put the blame on the pilots in this accident, as in the Boeing Lion Air accident, and would have continued to risk the lives of tens of thousands of people every day with a troubled aircraft.

    This documentary explains very clearly what greed costs and that no lesson has been learned even after 45 years from its losses. While waiting for mcdonnell douglas to turn into boeing, it's really frustrating to see how boeing turned into mcdonnell douglas.