Boeing denounces Al Jazeera documentary highly critical of 787; says it 'distorted facts'

SEATTLE -- Boeing officials lambasted Al Jazeera news after a documentary focusing on the construction of the 787 Dreamliner recently released alleges drug use by Boeing, engineering issues and employees claiming they wouldn't even fly on the plane,.

"It is unfortunate that the producers of this television program appear to have fallen into the trap of distorting facts, relying on claims rejected by courts of law, breathlessly rehashing as 'news' stories that have been covered exhaustively in the past and relying on anonymous sources who appear intent only on harming The Boeing Company," Boeing said in a statement.

The 48-minute Al Jazeera documentary was released Wednesday and is available on YouTube here. The documentary features allegations of safety concerns and unnamed employees talking about drug abuse -- mainly marijuana -- at the Dreamliner's production plant in South Carolina.

It also features claims by one engineer saying he was fired from Boeing for raising safety concerns about the airplane before it was produced.

"I wouldn't fly on these planes," one unidentified plant worker tells an undercover documentary crew.

Boeing said it went a long way to accommodate the producers of Al Jazeera documentary, even going as far as to acknowledge some project mistakes.

Still, the Al Jazeera news team seemed entirely focused on digging up dirt, Boeing said.

"Unfortunately, the reporting team appears to have chosen to take advantage of our trust and openness and abused their position from the outset by deliberately misrepresenting the purpose, objective and scope of their planned coverage," Boeing said.

Read Boeing's full statement here.