Sumwalt sworn in as 14th NTSB chairman

Written by Maggie Lancaster, assistant editor
image description
Robert L. Sumwalt III, left, is sworn in as the 14th Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board on Aug. 10. NTSB Board Member Bella T. Dinh-Zarr is center and NTSB Acting Managing Director Dennis Jones is at right.
NTSB

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) swore in its 14th chairman Robert L. Sumwalt III on August 10.

The Senate confirmed Sumwalt as President Trump’s nomination for a two-year term on August 3. Sumwalt has been serving as the agency’s acting chairman since March 31, 2017, and has been a NTSB member since August 2006.

“The NTSB is commemorating 50 years of making transportation safer yesterday, today and tomorrow and I am humbled and honored to have the privilege of guiding the dedicated men and women of the NTSB as we take on the challenges of transportation safety in the 21st century,” said Sumwalt “Transportation technologies continue to advance and the NTSB must continue to increase the breadth and depth of our knowledge and understanding of transportation innovations such as autonomous vehicles, intelligent infrastructure, commercial space transportation, hyper-speed rail, solar-powered planes and new recording technologies. That knowledge enables us to craft safety recommendations that leverage technology to prevent accidents and save lives.”

His tenure with the NTSB began in August 2006 with his appointment as the 37th member of the NTSB, whereupon President George W. Bush designated Sumwalt as vice chairman for a two-year term. President Barack Obama reappointed him to an additional five-year term as a board member in November 2011.

Before joining the NTSB, Sumwalt was a pilot for 32 years, including 24 years with Piedmont Airlines and US Airways, accumulating more than 14,000 flight hours. Sumwalt chaired the Air Line Pilots Association’s Human Factors and Training Group and co-founded the association’s critical incident response program. He also spent eight years as a consultant to NASA’s Aviation Safety Reporting System and has written extensively on aviation safety matters.

Tags: