Is it safe to fly yet?
The NTSB preliminary report proposes permanent solutions to address “severe safety issues.”
WASHINGTON – On May 5, the White House removed the latest vice-chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board in a string of fires by President Donald Trump from an independent US government agency.
Alvin Brown, the Democrat who first elected the mayor of Jacksonville, Florida, to be African-American, joined the five-person board meeting in March 2024 before being designated vice-chaired by President Joe Biden in December.
White House officials confirmed their departure. Brown did not immediately respond to an email to his personal account seeking comment.
The NTSB investigates all civil aviation accidents. The Board will investigate significant accidents in other modes of transport (highways, oceans, pipelines, railroads), determine the possible causes of the accident, and provide safety recommendations.
Since January, Trump has fired two Democrats from the Federal Trade Commission, as well as other members of the National Labor Relations Commission, the Merit System Protection Commission and the Federal Election Commission.
The departure has led to growing concerns about aviation safety following the hollow collision of a US Army helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet that killed a 67-year-old on January 29th.
A string of equipment and staffing issues at Newark Airport disrupt hundreds of flights last week, and other incidents that have prompted United Airlines to cancel 10% of daily flights from New Jersey Airport, raising alarms.
On April 28, the controller handling Newark traffic lost radio contact with the plane for 30 seconds, Duffy said Monday.
