Last Friday, Netflix debuted its newest documentary, Downfall: The Case Against Boeing. The film depicts the 18-month investigation of the two Boeing 737-Max crashes that reflected a prioritization of profits over people’s lives.
The investigation, which was conducted by Rep. Peter DeFazio, Chair of the House Transportation Infrastructure Committee, looked into the causes of the tragic crashes of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 and Lion Air Flight 610, which killed a total of 346 passengers and crew members.
Rory Kennedy, both Emmy winner and Academy Award nominee, directed the film.
“Downfall is an important film that unveils, in no uncertain terms, how Boeing’s reckless and negligent prioritization of profits above all else led to a tragic and unnecessary loss of lives,” said DeFazio in a press release. “While we can’t bring back those lost, we owe it to their loved ones and the traveling public across the globe to fix the mistakes that led to these tragedies. As Chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I’m committed to protecting public safety. I fought to uncover the truth in the most expansive investigation in my committee’s history and passed into law legislation to improve aviation certification and safety oversight to ensure that a tragedy like this never happens again.”
With his investigation, DeFazio helped hold those accountable for their wrongdoing. Through his negotiating, changes were made to federal aviation law that promotes transparency in the aircraft certification process. More importantly, they were implemented to help prevent lives from being lost in the same way again.
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