Downfall: The Case Against Boeing

This documentary should be shown to every new Airbus employee and executive, to learn how you should NOT do it.

Now on a more serious note: An interesting and sometimes even thrilling documentary, which was well-paced, had great interviews and outstanding music. It could've been a bit shorter, but if you like documentaries, it's definitely worth a watch.

Boeing CEO Dennis A. Muilenburg resigns and walks away with $62 million. It's a wonderful world. And that's how everything works in this country: it's all for the money. Only money matters. 346 people died because Boeing executives only care about money.

This movie is good as far as it goes but stops short of illuminating a missing link in the chain of failure that killed hundreds of people. Boeing took a calculated risk and were tragically wrong as far as the 737 Max redesign. Every transportation business faces a cost - benefit analysis in the production of their vehicles, The government is charged with the responsibility of ensuring the safety of these vehicles prior to certifying them for use. In this case the agency responsible is the FAA. It would be safe to assume air travel carries the heaviest burden for any agency other than perhaps the FDA. With this in mind one would think that only the best trained people would be placed in leadership of such an important agency. This is not the case, not even close. Boeing's redesign of the 737 was carried out and certified under the directorship of Michael Huerta at. The FAA. Mr. Huerta's education is listed in Wikipedia as: "Huerta received his bachelor's degree in political science from the University of California, Riverside and his master's in international relations from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University." If as a casual observer you question how much a political science major knows about the intricacies of the aerospace industry, you hit the core issue. Huerta could easily be called a political appointment without the technical knowledge to lead an agency as vital as the FAA. This type of appointment was neither rare previously nor has it been changed today. The latest director has the following education as listed by Wikipedia: Homendy is a native of Plainville, Connecticut. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Pennsylvania State University and is a master's candidate at Clemson University. Notice the absence of what degrees she achieved, she is purely a political appointment. Neither of these people have the expertise to lead a safety agency.

Clearly Boeing failed it's workers, investors, and the flying public. They will be held accountable and pay dearly for their mistakes. Unfortunately this movie missed the elephant in the room, our safety agencies need to be cleared of political appointments and experts installed in those positions. Your life is in the hands of people profiting from placing you in danger. They exist in both the industry and in the agencies responsible for protecting you.

Great documentary, even though I would love more insights into the technical aspects of the issue (fortunately YouTube exists for that. Great content going deep into MCAS).

The only thing that seems strange to me is the way they picture FAA as just another victim. Several stories from the time covered in depth the nuances of their relationship and the leeway FAA provided Boeing in these certification matters. The reluctance of FAA to ground planes is a sign of that. Some even argue this was the FAA acting to protect Boeing commercially instead of caring for US passengers safety.

Great documentary. Had my eyes glued to the TV. To be honest I had a really bad day the other day and have been very depressed and in a weird ironic way this movie made me feel better. Watching all these families grieve in pain made my problems seem trivial and made me look at the world in a bigger picture. It's sad what America allows to happen. These rich scumbags walked away with millions and no criminal prosecution. That CEO Muillenburgh makes my skin crawl, felt like I was staring at the devil in my own opinion. America really is crooked and shady (only really cares about making money for the few) all at the expense of others lives and dignity. Was crazy to see that China was the first country to ground this jet and set the standard to stand up to these crooked businessmen.