By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON, March 8 (Reuters) – A Republican member of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said on Sunday he was fired on Friday by the White House without any explanation.
Todd Inman, a former chief of staff to Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao during President Donald Trump’s first term, had served on the NTSB since April 2024. He was the on-scene board member at the American Airlines collision with an Army helicopter in January 2025 near Reagan Washington National Airport that killed 67 people and the November crash of a UPS cargo plane on takeoff from the Louisville, Kentucky, airport that killed 15 people.
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Inman was removed from the NTSB website on Sunday. The NTSB told senior leaders in an email seen by Reuters that Inman’s position was terminated.
The NTSB declined to comment.
The White House fired then-NTSB Vice Chair Alvin Brown in May. Brown, a Democrat who was the first-ever African American elected mayor of Jacksonville, Florida, has filed suit challenging his dismissal.
The NTSB investigates all civil aviation accidents. The board investigates significant accidents in other modes of transportation – highway, marine, pipeline and railroad – and determines the probable cause of accidents and makes safety recommendations.
Inman said serving on the NTSB had been a great honor. “Witnessing these horrible accidents have undoubtedly taken a toll on me and my family and has changed my perspective in a positive way on how we regulate safety for the traveling public,” Inman said.
Late last month, the Senate confirmed John DeLeeuw, who had been managing director of safety and efficiency for American Airlines and a Boeing 787 captain, to fill Brown’s seat on the NTSB.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Mark Porter and Aurora Ellis)
