We’ve all heard the saying that air travel is way safer than any other types of travel – including traveling by car. There is a hard earned reputation in the airline industry for safety and adherence to regulations. Sure, there have been marks that have tarnished this reputation, but those have been largely short-lived scandals. All in, most folks have bought into the idea that safety is top priority – but what if it isn’t?

In the opening scenes of Downfall: The Case Against Boeing the question is brought forth, is safety truly top priority? The following narrative is the widow of a pilot who shares her story of disbelief upon hearing the news that her husband’s flight crashed, killing nearly 200 people. The story was quickly spun that the pilot’s were to fault due to airline incompetence in training their staff. Never once was the functionality of the Boeing plane questioned.

The first shift in focus to the cause of the crash came when the black box was found. The data showed that there was false warnings and inconsistent readings logged by the electronics on board. The messaging from the black box was puzzling but Boeing held the line that the pilot and crew were not qualified to adequately navigate electronic glitches.

When a second Boeing 737 MAX crashed less than six months later, it became evident that there could be an underlying issue with the aircraft. Boeing had worked hard, behind the scene, for months to maintain the image of safety when in actuality Boeing had not given pilots all the necessary information on the new 737 series. This wasn’t an oversight, it was a deliberate move on the manufacturers part.

Through interviews with journalists, family members of survivors and former airline industry employees the story of the failings of the aircraft unfolds. What began as a tragedy morphed into an investigation and counter-investigation that resulted in a hearings and a grounding of all 737 planes for nearly two years.

Director, Rory Kennedy, has built an interesting tale guided by the highest journalistic integrity while holding the humanity and grief of the tragedies of these crashes. His narrative revolves around responsibility and honesty without sensationalizing the trauma, largely with the help of Wall Street Journal journalist, Andy Pasztor, framing the narrative with his thoughts on the investigation.

Downfall was released in January 2022 to critical success. Not only is the documentary well-paced and informative but it is provides a compelling narrative that questions the values of capitalism in the face of devastating human tragedy. Be sure to view it now on Netflix.