"Downfall: the Boeing case," on Netflix documentary about the 737 MAX.
The controversial Boeing 737 MAX affair comes to Netflix thanks to the documentary film "Downfall: the Boeing Case." An hour and [...]
The controversial Boeing 737 MAX affair comes to Netflix thanks to the documentary film "Downfall: the Boeing Case."
In this article:
Un hour and a half of in-depth on the history of the plane's decommissioning following two tragic accidents between 2018 and 2019.
The film was directed by Rory Kennedy. It presents an accurate analysis of one of the most controversial civil aviation stories of recent times. It features numerous interviews with experts, pilots, former Boeing employees and family members of the victims of the two accidents. Among the testimonies is that of Peter DeFazio, who led the U.S. Congressional investigative committee that led to the decision to decommission the aircraft.
The Boeing 737 MAX began production in 2016. It was equipped with the innovative MCAS system. (Maneuvering, Characteristics Augmentation System), or horizontal stabilization software for the aircraft. Its job was to push the nose down when the aircraft was operating in manual flight. In this way it prevented the pilot from accidentally making the aircraft climb too quickly, so as to cause a stall situation.
What is the case of the Boeing 737 MAX.
On October 29, 2018, one of these aircraft, operating Lion Air Flight 610, had crashed just after takeoff from Jakarta., causing the death of all 189 people on board. The problem had been identified precisely in the new MCAS system. Boeing had drawn up a series of countermeasures for pilots to prevent further accidents. Trade associations, however, had remained very skeptical about this.
On March 10, 2019, another Boeing 737 MAX, that of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, had experienced another similar incident shortly after leaving Addis Ababa airport. In this case 159 people died, that is, all the occupants of the craft. This fact led many countries to ban the use of this specific type of aircraft. Boeing tried to remedy this by initiating an upgrade of the MCAS system, cutting production by one-fifth.
Meanwhile, an official congressional investigation was launched in the United States into the aircraft's stabilization system, which was accused of interfering with the aircraft's maneuverability. In late 2019, the FAA revoked Boeing's marketing approval for all MAX family aircraft, forcing the company to stop production. In 2021, the Chicago-based company agreed to pay $2.5 billion in damages for fraud allegation. To find out the whole story in detail, the best advice is to go to Netflix and watch the documentary Downfall: the Boeing case.
