Kennedy's 'Freefall' Doc: Boeing Still Unsafe
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- Rory Kennedy's documentary "Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing" held its world premiere at the DC/DOX festival and is expected to debut on Netflix in August, following her 2022 Netflix film "Downfall: The Case Against Boeing."
- Whistleblower John Barnett, a 32-year Boeing quality control employee, died under mysterious circumstances in 2024 while pursuing a retaliation lawsuit against Boeing, and his case is central to the new documentary.
- Former Boeing safety inspector Merle Meyers alleges in the film that parts painted red to mark them as scrap were reincorporated into manufacturing lines to meet production targets, and that employees who raise concerns are "downgraded in performance" and "quietly disposed of."
- A January 2024 Alaska Airlines door plug blowout is examined in the film; the NTSB concluded workers who reinstalled the door plug failed to secure it with four key bolts, and chair Jennifer Homendy stated "this accident never should have happened."
- The documentary argues Boeing's culture deteriorated as executives prioritized profits and share price over safety, with the board rewarding CEOs James McNerney, Dennis Muilenburg, Dave Calhoun, and Kelly Ortberg with roughly $500 million in combined compensation.
- Boeing issued a statement to the documentary disputing some assertions and saying it has addressed other safety matters; Kennedy said her engagement with the company has been mostly informal.
Why it matters: The film amplifies multiple insider accounts of allegedly suppressed safety concerns and retaliation at Boeing, arriving as the FAA and NTSB scrutinize the 2024 Alaska Airlines incident. Michael Stumo, father of a 737 Max crash victim, demands in the film that managers who disciplined Barnett still have their jobs today — pressuring Boeing to act on personnel, not just policy, to restore trust.
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