White House Dismisses NTSB Member J. Todd Inman

The White House dismissed National Transportation Safety Board member J. Todd Inman without providing a reason, marking the second abrupt removal from the agency's five-member board in the past year.

Inman, a Republican appointed by President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and confirmed by the Senate in April 2024, received notice of his termination on Friday from the White House personnel office, effective immediately. His term was scheduled to run until the end of next year. The NTSB website listed only three active members as of Sunday, creating a new vacancy on the panel, which by law cannot have more than three members from the same political party. The White House did not respond to requests for comment, and the NTSB directed inquiries to the executive branch.

Inman, who previously served as chief of staff at the Department of Transportation during President Donald Trump's first term, played a prominent role in two major aviation investigations. He led the probe into the January 29, 2025, midair collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, where an American Airlines passenger jet struck an Army Black Hawk helicopter, killing all 67 people aboard both aircraft. As the...