J. Todd Inman, a Republican member of the National Transportation Safety Board, says the White House fired him on Friday without offering any explanation. Inman, who had been sworn into the board after Senate confirmation last spring, told colleagues he learned of the move from an email sent to senior agency staff, and he noted that his biography had been taken down from the agency’s website. The abrupt departure pulls an experienced investigator off the panel while the NTSB is still working through several high-profile aviation probes.
Agency email and public reporting
According to Reuters, an internal message to NTSB senior leaders said Inman’s position had been terminated, and his entry was removed from the agency website on Sunday. Reuters also reports that the NTSB declined to comment when contacted and that the White House did not immediately respond to requests for an explanation.
Inman’s background and on-scene role
Per the NTSB’s April 8, 2024 news release, Inman was sworn in that spring after a Biden nomination and Senate confirmation and had previously served as chief of staff to Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao. He has been the on-scene board member at major investigations, including the January midair collision near Reagan National that killed 67 people, as detailed by the Associated Press, and the November crash of a UPS cargo jet outside Louisville, which prompted the NTSB to deploy a go-team. Those assignments placed Inman at the center of the agency’s highest-profile recent work, with local and aviation outlets providing on-scene coverage.
Political context and a recent Senate move
The firing follows the White House’s removal of then-Vice Chair Alvin Brown last May, a step that prompted a legal challenge from Brown, as reported by The Washington Post. The Senate has since confirmed John DeLeeuw, an American Airlines safety executive, to fill Brown’s seat, restoring the board to five members, according to Aviation Week.
Independence and expert concern
Safety experts and former investigators have said that removing sitting board members is highly unusual and could undercut the NTSB’s independence at a sensitive moment. "This is the first time in modern history that the White House has removed a board member," Jeff Guzzetti, a former FAA and NTSB investigator, told The Washington Post. Industry leaders are pressing for clarity about the grounds for Inman’s termination and for assurances that active investigations will continue on a nonpartisan, fact-first basis.
What comes next
Inman said serving on the NTSB had been "a great honor," and that he would cooperate with any transition, according to Reuters. The agency has not identified who will take over as on-scene board member for the probes Inman was leading, and the White House has not publicly cited a reason for the termination.
