'Downfall: The Case Against Boeing', A Documentary Film About the Lion Air Crash Filled with Interesting Facts

Kapanlagi.com - Written by: Inas Arwina Ramadhani

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

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

1. Two Plane Crashes

source: Netflix

Downfall: The Case Against Boeing is a documentary film based on real-world tragedies in 2018-2019 where hundreds of people lost their lives due to the crashes of two planes.

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

2. Causes of the Accident

source: Netflix

The film states that the causes of the Lion Air JT 610 and Ethiopian Airlines ET 302 accidents were failures in the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS).

This system is an automatic sensor that causes the aircraft's nose to pitch down.

3. Presenting 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 aerospace reporter for the Wall Street Journal Andy Pasztor, and politicians such as Rep. Peter DeFazio, Chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

4. Boeing Attempts to Cover Up the 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.

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

5. Synopsis of the Film Downfall: The Case Against Boeing

source: Netflix

The plot of this documentary film begins with the background of two airplane accidents that shocked the world. First, Lion Air flight number 610 that crashed into the Java Sea on October 29, 2018.

Second, Ethiopian Airlines flight number 301 that 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 resulted in the death of all crew members along with 189 passengers. Meanwhile, Ethiopian Airlines flight number 301 also crashed shortly after takeoff. This incident killed 157 people, including crew and passengers.

There is something unique about these two incidents, as both aircraft were of the Boeing 737 Max type manufactured by Boeing. Additionally, both crashes occurred in almost the same time frame, shortly after takeoff. This event then sparked various debates and controversies among the company, investigative teams, and the public.

Boeing had stated that the crash was due to the incompetence of the pilots. The airline was also not exempt from allegations that it was deemed incompetent in implementing flight protocols. All of this was later clarified after the investigation team found various pieces of evidence.

The investigators revealed that the crash of the two Boeing aircraft was caused by a design flaw in the flight stabilization software known as the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS).

The existence of this system was not disclosed to the pilots operating the Boeing 737 Max. This reality then fueled public outrage and the families of the victims towards the Boeing company.

In this case, the MCAS malfunctioned, causing the pilots to lose control of the aircraft, leading to the crash. This new system was concealed by Boeing from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the regulatory agency for civil aviation in the United States.

Not only that, when Lion Air pilots requested special training to learn about the 737 Max, Boeing firmly rejected this, stating that training was not necessary. During the investigation, Boeing was found to have deceived pilots and airlines worldwide, including the FAA, regarding the existence of the MCAS system, which was the cause of the tragic accident that claimed hundreds of lives.

(kpl/mag)