Boeing accused of using 'scrapped parts' on planes in bombshell doc | Exclusive
Rory Kennedy continues her in-depth investigation into Boeing in her new documentary “Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing,” arriving on Netflix on Aug. 19.
The 93-minute film is a sequel to 2022’s “Downfall: The Case Against Boeing,” which examined the pair of 737 MAX 8 crashes in 2018 and 2019 that resulted in 346 deaths. Both features say that the company prioritized profit over passenger safety.
“When the quality of Boeing suffers, people die,” David Gelles, author and New York Times journalist, says in a trailer for “Freefall,” which USA TODAY can exclusively debut.
USA TODAY has reached out to Boeing for comment on the allegations in “Freefall.”
The documentary features employees at the Boeing 787 Dreamliner Factory in Charleston, South Carolina, who say that safety concerns would keep them from flying. "I wouldn't fly on one of these planes," one worker says.
“I found that scrapped parts were put back on the airplane for years and years,” Merle Meyers, Boeing Quality Manager from 1979 to 2023, says in the trailer. “They were basically rotted. We’ll never know how many of these parts made it to airplanes.”
Those who raised concerns say they were retaliated against in the film for doing so. One alleges his tire was slashed as an intimidation tactic. And the documentary shows that people have continued to come forward, inspired by John Barnett, who served as Boeing's Quality Manager from 1985 to 2017.
“I’m not John, but somebody needs to keep pushing,” says Roy Irvin, a Quality Investigator for Boeing from 2009 to 2020.
Barnett died in March 2024 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after being deposed about problems with production. Years before his death, he voiced several concerns about Boeing safety and even ran tests that found oxygen systems wouldn't function during an emergency if they were incorrectly installed.
In January 2024, Alaska Airlines flight 1282 from Portland, Ore., to Ontario, Calif., was forced to make an emergency landing after a door plug on a Boeing 737 MAX 9 jet blew off as it ascended to 16,000 feet. A passenger who was on the plane at the time is featured in the documentary, saying, "When I got the mask on, there was no oxygen."
Some of those on board also sent farewell text messages to their loved ones, as shown in the documentary.
“I love you. Forever,” a traveler sent their child, who responded, “I love you, Mom."
Thankfully, pilots were able to land the plane without any fatalities.
Sam Mohawk, a Boeing Quality Investigator since 2011, says in the documentary he “was not surprised” by the event. “I’ve been fighting for a couple years, knowing that was going to happen."
At the time of the incident, United Airlines told USA TODAY in a statement that it had seen problems with its MAX 9s. During preliminary inspections, the airline “found instances that appear to relate to installation issues in the door plug – for example, bolts that needed additional tightening.”
In May, the Department of Justice reached a settlement with Boeing that prevented the company from facing criminal prosecution over the deadly crashes in 2018 and 2019. Boeing agreed to pay a total of $1.1 billion, including a $243.6 million fine and $444.5 million into a crash victims’ fund that would be divided evenly.
An additional $455 million would be devoted to strengthening the company’s compliance, safety, and quality programs, the Justice Department said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Boeing accused of using 'scrapped parts' on planes in bombshell doc | Exclusive