NTSB member says he was fired without explanation by the Trump administration

A National Transportation Safety Board member who played a key role in investigating a deadly collision between an airliner and an Army helicopter was fired by the Trump administration without explanation, adding to concerns about political interference in the independent agency’s operations.

Todd Inman revealed Sunday that he received notice from the White House personnel office on Friday that his position was “terminated effective immediately.” In a public statement, Inman said he has not been provided with any reason for his sudden dismissal.

The White House has not responded to requests for comment on Inman’s termination.

Inman’s removal further depletes the NTSB’s leadership. The agency’s website now shows only three members on what should be a five-person board. This follows the controversial dismissal of Vice Chair Alvin Brown last year, a move that raised eyebrows among transportation safety experts who noted the rarity of such terminations at the independent agency.

Brown and Robert Primus, who served on the U.S. Surface Transportation Board, were the only Black board members overseeing their respective independent agencies when they were fired in 2023. Both have since filed legal challenges to contest their dismissals, with advocacy group Democracy Forward filing discrimination claims on their behalf.

The White House previously defended these removals, stating that Trump was acting within his legal authority and that the decisions were based on performance rather than bias.

The NTSB plays a critical role in transportation safety, operating as an independent federal agency tasked by Congress with investigating aviation accidents and significant transportation disasters. The agency determines probable causes and makes recommendations to prevent similar incidents. It is currently managing nearly 1,250 active investigations nationwide.

Inman served as the lead NTSB representative at the scene of two major aviation disasters. He oversaw the initial investigation into the January 2025 midair collision between a passenger jet and an Army helicopter near Washington, D.C., which claimed 67 lives. He also led the on-site response to last year’s UPS cargo plane crash in Kentucky that killed 15 people.

After major transportation incidents, the NTSB typically dispatches a board member to crash sites to oversee initial investigations and provide public briefings, a role Inman had fulfilled for what he described as “two of the largest aviation incidents in the past two decades.”

In his statement, Inman reflected on the personal impact of his work, saying that witnessing these tragedies “undoubtedly took 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.”

Despite his abrupt dismissal, Inman praised the NTSB staff and investigators as “world class” and expressed hope that “the NTSB leadership and those who control it stay true to its roots and culture as the preeminent safety organization unimpeded by political or personal agendas.”

Transportation safety experts have expressed concern about the pattern of removals from independent safety agencies, particularly during active investigations of major incidents. The NTSB’s independence is considered crucial to its credibility in determining causes of accidents and making safety recommendations that often carry significant implications for transportation industries and regulators.

The agency’s diminished board now faces the challenge of continuing its mission with reduced leadership capacity while questions linger about political influence over what has traditionally been viewed as an apolitical, technical body focused solely on improving transportation safety.