As Boeing ramps up production and tries to prove its troubled past is behind it, a new documentary is reopening questions about the whistleblowers of the past w
As Boeing ramps up production and tries to prove its troubled past is behind it, a new documentary is reopening questions about the whistleblowers of the past who tried to sound the alarm as safety and quality slipped.
Netflix’s “Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing,” from Oscar-nominated filmmaker Rory Kennedy, focuses on Boeing employees who raised concerns about what they described as declining standards inside the company.
“Freefall” centers in part on John Barnett, a former Boeing quality manager who became a prominent whistleblower. Barnett died by suicide in 2024 while involved in a legal case against Boeing.
Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2026The documentary traces Barnett’s career at Boeing through interviews with him and other former quality workers.
They describe incidents they believed reflected inadequate safety and quality controls and say they encountered resistance or threats of retaliation after raising concerns with management.
A Boeing spokesperson said the allegations in the film have been widely reported over the years.
“Some remain unfounded claims to this day while others are issues that Boeing thoroughly addressed or continues to improve upon under the rigorous oversight of our regulators,” the spokesperson said in a written statement. “We are grateful that customers, industry experts, policymakers, and our employees are seeing improvements in how we work together and deliver quality products. Our team is working every day to meet our commitments and earn the trust of those who depend on us.”
The release of the documentary comes as Boeing experiences a sharp turnaround from its previous crises. The company has recently reported stronger aircraft deliveries, a growing backlog and progress toward increasing production.
Boeing last month reported second-quarter revenue of $24.6 billion, an 8% increase from a year earlier. Commercial airplane deliveries rose to 171 aircraft from 150 during the second quarter of 2025.
Boeing ended the quarter with $20 billion in cash and $45.9 billion in consolidated debt.
The company is also expanding production in Washington state.
Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing. Cr. Courtesy of AIRFLIX-Maxwell ArchivesBoeing has opened a new 737 MAX production line in Everett, where existing manufacturing facilities traditionally used for widebody aircraft were upgraded to accommodate the narrowbody jet.
The new “North Line” joins three 737 production lines at Boeing’s Renton plant and is expected to help the company eventually increase production to 52 airplanes a month from its current pace of 47.
Increasing output is critical as Boeing works through a backlog of about 4,300 airplanes.
The expansion came as Boeing regained additional responsibility for conducting final safety checks on its 737 MAX and 787 aircraft.
The Federal Aviation Administration said that after months of review, it determined Boeing’s inspections were sufficient to ensure aircraft are airworthy.
Federal regulators took control of 737 MAX approvals in 2019 following two fatal crashes, which investigators linked in part to a flight-control system developed for the aircraft. The FAA later ended Boeing’s authority to issue airworthiness certificates for individual 787 Dreamliners in 2022 amid production quality concerns.
Boeing is also seeking FAA certification for the 737-10.
Airlines are already placing orders for the aircraft, including Delta Air Lines, which recently announced an order for 100 737-10 jets. Boeing says the Max family can reduce fuel consumption by 20% and airport noise footprints by 50% compared with the airplanes they replace.
The company said its long-delayed 777X program has also received FAA approval to begin certification flight testing under Type Inspection Authorization 4B. Boeing continues to anticipate the first 777X delivery in 2027.
Scott Hamilton, an aviation industry consultant and founder of Leeham Co. LLC, said Boeing appears to be making progress after years of turmoil but still has a ways to go.
Hamilton examined the company’s trajectory in his book, “The Rise and Fall of Boeing and the Way Back,” which chronicles Boeing’s evolution from a company widely regarded as an engineering and manufacturing leader to one shaken by crashes, production problems and questions about its corporate culture.
