Boeing documentary explores whistleblower John Barnett’s death
Filmmaker Rory Kennedy’s latest documentary, “Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing,” continued her investigation into Boeing.
- Filmmaker Rory Kennedy continues her investigation into airplane manufacturer Boeing with her new documentary, “Freefall,” streaming now on Netflix.
- Kennedy finds a “continued lack of humanity” among the most shocking things she unearthed in her latest documentary, a sequel to 2022’s “Downfall: The Case Against Boeing.”
- In “Freefall,” Kennedy investigates the death of whistleblower John Barnett in real time. Kennedy says she felt, “like Boeing was probably responsible, one way or another, for his death.”
With a nervous laugh, Rory Kennedy admits she’s “terrified of flying.”
“I have a long history of grabbing the person next to me when it gets bumpy or turbulent,” she tells USA TODAY. “I have a lot of anxiety with flying, and now I have a lot more.”
This certainly doesn’t come as a surprise to those who know the Kennedy family’s history and how several members have tragically died in plane crashes. The parents of her mother, Ethel Kennedy − George and Ann Skakel – died in 1955 after their plane crashed close to Union City, Oklahoma. Ethel’s brother, George Skakel Jr., died in an aviation accident in 1966. Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., the eldest brother of Rory Kennedy’s father, Robert F. Kennedy, perished in 1944 when the naval aviator’s plane exploded. A plane carrying his sister, Kathleen Kennedy, crashed in 1948. And John F. Kennedy Jr., Carolyn Bessette and her sister, Lauren Bessette, died in 1999 while en route to Rory Kennedy’s wedding.
Yet that’s not why Kennedy, 57, devoted years of her life to investigating Boeing’s underbelly, portrayed in a pair of documentaries as a money-hungry entity willing to cut costs and corners, even when lives are at stake.
“Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing” (now streaming on Netflix) follows Kennedy’s 2022 film, “Downfall: The Case Against Boeing” (also on the platform), which examined the 737 MAX 8 crashes in 2018 and 2019 that resulted in 346 deaths. Boeing has admitted fault in these tragedies, attributing the cause of the crashes to a faulty Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS).
“Freefall” claims there was a pattern of the company ignoring employees’ concerns and retaliating against whistleblowers. Kennedy also heard reports of corroded parts being on the production line. But what shocked her most, she says, was a “continued lack of humanity.”
‘Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing’: Watch the exclusive trailer
Rory Kennedy’s upcoming documentary, “Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing” continues her investigation into the plane manufacturer’s practices.
“It’s not just for the whistleblowers but also the families who lost family members in the 737 MAX crashes,” Kennedy says. In hearing from loves ones, “You really see how these decisions and policies trickle down to impact people’s lives in such profound ways and create such a sense of loss and just abject sadness. That stays with me, and I think that really drives me more than anything to make the film.”
In a statement to USA TODAY, a spokesperson for Boeing addressed the claims made in Kennedy’s latest documentary.
“The allegations in this film have been widely reported over the past several 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 says. “Today, 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.”
Below, Kennedy reveals her motivation to continue her Boeing probe, what it was like investigating the death of whistleblower John Barnett and how her upbringing influenced her desire to make documentaries.
At what point did you think that there needed to be a second film? What did you want to focus on?
Rory Kennedy: In the aftermath of [the two 737 Max 8 crashes], Boeing did take responsibility for the MCAS in those planes, which was really the reason for those planes crashing. They also had indicated to the public and to government that they had changed their ways, they had learned their lessons, that they were no longer going to prioritize profits over people and safety. And they seemed to make some significant changes that were reassuring, while they were fixing the 737 Max. But pretty soon after that plane went up into the air [after being ungrounded by the FAA], and the government scrutiny stopped and the regulations pulled back on them, they reverted back to their old ways, it seemed…
I would say the compelling thing that really made me feel like “I got to get back in there” was John Barnett, who I had known as a whistleblower from “Downfall,” [was being deposed] about what he had seen at Boeing. And during that period, he died under very suspicious circumstances.
What was it like investigating the death of John Barnett as someone who had known him?
It was concerning. I do feel like the toll that the experience of being a whistleblower had on John emotionally was really concerning, and he would talk about it. He was in therapy. He was working through a lot of issues. He was having anxiety. He was under an enormous amount of stress, and this had been going on for years and years and years and years.
Boeing made it as difficult as they could for him to finish his [deposition], to make his case [for a retaliation lawsuit]. And as I learned the circumstances and was able to watch footage from that [deposition], and learning that he had asked Boeing during the [deposition]… ” Can I just take a break from this for a beat?” And they said, “No. You have to keep going. Keep going. Keep going.” And then he died. I just felt like there was such a lack of humanity on a very personal level, which I think people will see when they watch the film.
What role do you think the government should have played in holding Boeing accountable? What rulings would you have liked to have seen or see?
I think that there should’ve been criminal charges against them. In fact, Boeing had agreed to plead guilty, and then more recently, under the current administration, they [the Trump administration] withdrew the case and the necessity for Boeing to plead guilty for criminal charges.
Different administrations handled it differently, so that is a reality. But of course, I don’t think this is a partisan issue… I do feel like having criminal charges against the CEOs who knew what they were doing when they let those planes go up in the air and where they allowed for 346 people to die, and if they had to go to jail and prison as a result, that that would send a very clear message, not only to Boeing CEOs, but to CEOs from other companies, that they can be held criminally responsible and that it would compel them pretty immediately to make smarter choices about safety and the public interest.
Do you feel that your own life experiences have made you a more steadfast filmmaker or a better interviewer?
Probably. I think that I have personally experienced a lot of loss and sadness in my life, and I do think it creates a sense of connection and understanding to people who have gone through pretty traumatic suffering.
After hearing your cousin, Maria Shriver, speak and getting a chance to interview her, it seems there was an expectation of the Kennedy family that you would go out and do good in the world. Do you feel like that was modeled for you in your childhood? Do you think that inspires your desire to make documentary films?
I don’t feel that I was ever explicitly told by anybody in my family, “You have to give back. You need to contribute to the world,” et cetera. But in terms of the modeling that you mentioned, I do think that that had a big influence on me of people who I was surrounded by, both family members − and Maria’s mother was a significant influence on me, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who of course started the Special Olympics − and my mother and other people, as well as my siblings and cousins, many of whom have led lives that have been enormously contributory. But also the people who were brought into our lives, the Desmond Tutus, Nelson Mandelas, senators and Congress people, as well as just wonderful people who would climb mountains like Jim Whittaker or Muhammad Ali and were so extraordinarily talented at what they did.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.