Article Text
The White House fired National Transportation Safety Board member Todd Inman following allegations of workplace drinking, staff harassment and other misconduct. Inman denied the claims Monday and said he would defend his reputation through every available legal avenue.
Inman disclosed Sunday that he had been dismissed Friday without an explanation, nearly two years before his term was scheduled to end in 2027.
White House spokesman Kush Desai said the administration lawfully removed Inman after receiving reports of inappropriate alcohol use at work, harassment of employees, misuse of government resources and failure to attend at least half of the board’s meetings.
Inman “categorically” denied the allegations and called his removal a political hit job. The Republican was appointed to the board in March 2024 under former President Joe Biden.
Inman had served as the lead NTSB member at the scene of last year’s midair collision near Washington, D.C., where an airliner and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter crashed, killing 67 people. He also oversaw the opening phase of the investigation into a UPS cargo plane crash in Kentucky that killed 15 people in November.
His departure follows the unexpected May dismissal of Vice Chair Alvin Brown, a Democrat appointed by Biden. The NTSB currently lists three members, though the Senate recently confirmed American Airlines executive John DeLeeuw, who is expected to become the fourth.
The agency’s five-member board investigates major aviation, rail, highway and pipeline accidents. It is handling more than 1,000 cases and issues safety recommendations with its final reports.
The NTSB said its workforce maintains high professional standards, protects public resources and preserves the integrity of its investigations.
Dismissals from independent federal boards were extremely rare before last year. President Donald Trump has since removed members of several such bodies, including the Federal Reserve Board, Surface Transportation Board, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Federal law calls for the NTSB to include three members from the president’s party and two from the other major party. Once DeLeeuw joins following Inman’s removal, the board will be divided 2-2 between Republicans and Democrats, leaving Trump able to appoint a third Republican.
Brown and former Surface Transportation Board member Robert Primus, the only Black members of their respective independent boards when they were dismissed last year, have challenged their removals in court. Democracy Forward has also filed discrimination claims on their behalf.