Boeing Whistleblower Death Sparks New Investigation in 'Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing'
Rory Kennedy, an Oscar-nominated filmmaker and daughter of late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, has released a follow-up documentary to her 2022 film 'Downfall: The Case Against Boeing.' The new film, 'Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing,' investigates the mysterious death of John Barnett, a key whistleblower against the company.
Barnett served as Boeing's quality manager from 1985 to 2017 and reported safety violations to the company in 2013. However, he was admonished for putting his concerns in writing and was eventually demoted by reassigning him to other departments where he couldn't raise further flags.
Boeing is alleged to have retaliated against Barnett, and the company has been criticized for its 'profits above all else' approach, which led to the outsourcing of parts and labor for the Dreamliner. The 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019 claimed the lives of 346 people.
The documentary presents testimony from former Boeing employees who contend that the company failed to dramatically improve its safety standards after the crashes. It also includes interviews with victims' families, including Naoise Connolly Ryan, whose husband was a U.N. employee on Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302.