'Downfall: The Case Against Boeing', Documentary Film About the Lion Air Crash Full of Interesting Facts

Kapanlagi.com - Written by: Inas Arwina Ramadhani

Downfall: The Case Against Boeing is a documentary film that uncovers the investigation of two Boeing 737 MAX accidents that killed 346 people. This film is directed by Rory Kennedy.

The film Downfall: The Case Against Boeing has a duration of 1 hour 29 minutes. You can watch it on Netflix. For those of you who are curious about the film, you can check out the review below..

1. Two Plane Accidents

source: Netflix

Downfall: The Case Against Boeing is a documentary film based on a real-life tragedy in 2018-2019 where hundreds of people died due to the crashes of two planes.

The two planes were Lion Air flight 610 from Indonesia and Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 from East Africa.

2. Causes of the Accidents

source: Netflix

The film states that the cause of the Lion Air JT 610 and Ethiopian Airlines ET 302 crashes was a failure in the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS).

This system is an automatic sensor that makes the plane's nose dive down.

3. Featuring Several Sources

source: thecinemaholic.com

Downfall features interviews with Garima Sethi, the wife of the Lion Air captain, family members of the victims, former Boeing employees, experienced pilots, former Wall Street Journal aviation reporter Andy Pasztor, and politicians such as Rep. Peter DeFazio, Chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

4. Boeing Attempts to Cover Up Facts

source: Netflix

The story then unfolds about how Boeing faced a PR crisis due to its efforts to maintain its reputation and cover up facts related to the Boeing 737 Max aircraft.

Based on the investigation results, it was found that Boeing did not provide information about the flight control system (MCAS) to pilots.

5. Downfall: The Case Against Boeing Film Synopsis

source: Netflix

The documentary film's plot begins with the background of two plane crash incidents that shook the world. First, Lion Air flight number 610 crashed into the Java Sea on October 29, 2018.

Second, Ethiopian Airlines flight with flight code 301 crashed in Addis Ababa in March 2019. The Lion Air flight number 610 incident occurred about 13 minutes after taking off from Soekarno Hatta International Airport, Jakarta, Indonesia.

This incident then killed all 189 crew members and passengers. Meanwhile, Ethiopian Airlines with flight code 301 also crashed shortly after takeoff. This incident killed 157 people, including the crew and passengers.

There is a unique factor in these two incidents, where both planes are Boeing 737 Max models made by Boeing. In addition, the two planes also crashed almost simultaneously, shortly after takeoff. This incident then sparked various debates and controversies between the company, investigators, and the public.

Boeing initially stated that the plane crashes were caused by incompetent pilots. Airline companies are also not exempt from allegations that they are considered incompetent in carrying out flight protocols. All of these things were then answered after the investigative team found various pieces of evidence.

Investigators revealed that the two Boeing plane accidents were caused by a defect in the flight stabilization software or known as Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS). The existence of this system was not disclosed to pilots operating the Boeing 737 Max aircraft. This fact then led to public anger and the families of the victims towards Boeing.

In this case, the MCAS malfunctioned, causing the pilot to lose control of the aircraft and crash. This new system was hidden by Boeing from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) or the civil aviation regulatory agency in the United States. Not only that, when Lion Air pilots requested special training to learn about the 737 Max, Boeing strongly refused and stated that training was not necessary. In the investigation, Boeing was found to have lied to pilots, airlines around the world, including the FAA, regarding the existence of the MCAS system that caused the tragic accidents that claimed hundreds of lives.

(kpl/mag)