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Update: White House spokesman Kush Desai on March 9 issued this statement: “The White House lawfully removed Todd Inman from the NTSB after receiving highly concerning reports of inappropriate alcohol use on the job, harassment of staff, misuse of government resources, and failure to attend at least half of NTSB meetings. The Trump administration remains committed to maintaining safety and security for Americans in the air and on the ground.”
J. Todd Inman, one of the five members of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, has left the investigative body, according to multiple people familiar with the situation.
The sudden development comes just days after the Senate confirmed John Deleeuw, formerly American Airlines’ safety chief, as its fifth member on Feb. 25, restoring the board to a full five-member panel. The reason for Inman’s departure was not clear at the time of publication.
Spokespeople for the NTSB and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Inman’s departure comes just under two years since he joined the board, with board members normally serving five-year terms. Inman was nominated by President Joe Biden and sworn in by the U.S. Senate on March 13, 2024. He formerly served as chief of staff at the Department of Transportation during President Donald Trump’s first term.
Inman was the high-profile face of many of the board’s press conferences and hearings in the wake of the January 2025 mid-air collision in Washington, D.C. between an American Eagle CRJ700 and U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter that killed all 67 people aboard both aircraft.
Related: Special Report: The night everything at DCA finally went wrong
However, he has also publicly sparred with Chair Jennifer Homendy, most recently at the probable cause hearing for that crash where Homendy chastised him for barely meeting the deadline for returning comments on the final report to NTSB staff.
Inman is the second board member to leave the NTSB during Trump’s second term. In May, the White House abruptly fired Alvin Brown, who is now suing the NTSB and the White House for wrongful termination. Reasons for his firing have not been publicly disclosed.
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