The documentary Downfall: The case against Boeing on Netflix. is about the incredible but remarkably similar, never before in the history of aviation story of 2 brand new planes smashing into the ocean and ground at phenomenal high speed soon after takeoff in clear weather took the world’s breath away in late 2018 and early 2019. This film lays bare all the smoking gun materials, memos and emails of what and when Boeing knew the problems it had with the MCAS system on the 737 Max (hint: it was many years ago), the active steps it took to hide the fraud and deceit and the corners it cut to sacrifice its hitherto best of class quality at the altar of Wall Street profits. On top of that they had the cheek to blame pilots in the first crash for not acting properly for a system that they didn’t even know was in the plane because Boeing hid that fact. And by the time of the second crash, the pilots did what they were told but by the time they realized what was going on the plane had passed the point of no return because the window to correct it was a microscopic 10 seconds, a fact hidden again by Boeing from the pilot community. It’s a sobering reminder of how much values matter in real life and not just as corporate platitudes on a boiler plate mission statement.
February 19, 2022