Robert L. Sumwalt
14th Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board
In office
August 10, 2017 – June 30, 2021
PresidentDonald Trump
Joe Biden
DeputyBruce Landsberg
Preceded byChristopher A. Hart
Succeeded byJennifer Homendy
Member of the National Transportation Safety Board
In office
August 21, 2006 – June 30, 2021
PresidentGeorge W. Bush
Barack Obama
Donald Trump
Joe Biden
Preceded byRichard F. Healing
Succeeded byAlvin Brown
Personal details
Born
Robert Llewellyn Sumwalt III

(1956-06-30) June 30, 1956 (age 67)
Columbia, South Carolina, U.S.
RelationsRobert L. Sumwalt (grandfather)
ParentRobert L. Sumwalt Jr. (father)
EducationUniversity of South Carolina (BS)
Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University (MS)
Sumwalt (right) at a 2015 hearing on a crash in the Washington Metro system

Robert Llewellyn Sumwalt III (born June 30, 1956) is an American academic, aviator, government official and writer. He was a board member of the National Transportation Safety Board for over 15 years, from August 2006 to June 30, 2021,[1] serving as the agency's chairman from 2017 to 2021.[2] He currently serves as the executive director of Embry-Riddle's Boeing Center for Aviation and Aerospace Safety.[3]

Education

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of South Carolina and a Master of Aeronautical Science (with Distinction) from Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University, specializing in Aviation/Aerospace Safety Systems and Human Factors Aviation Systems.[4]

Career

Sumwalt began his career as an airline pilot, working for 24 years with Piedmont Airlines and US Airways. He logged over 14,000 flight hours and earned type ratings in five aircraft.[5] After his airline career, he joined SCANA, a Fortune 500 energy company, where he managed its corporate aviation department.[6]

Sumwalt worked on special assignment to the US Airways Flight Safety Department where he was involved in the development of numerous airline-safety programs. He served on the US Airways Flight Operational Quality Assurance (FOQA) Monitoring Team.[7]

Sumwalt served as an air safety representative for Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) for 17 years where he chaired ALPA's Human Factors and Training Group. He was a co-founder of that organization's Critical Incident Response Program, which provides guidance to airline personnel involved in traumatic events such as accidents.

From 1991 to 1999, Sumwalt conducted aviation-safety research as a consultant to NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System, where he studied flight-crew human factors.

Sumwalt co-authored a book on aircraft accidents and he wrote chapters pertaining to aircraft accident investigation in two books. He has written extensively on aviation-safety matters, having published over 90 articles and papers.

In 2003, Sumwalt joined the faculty of the University of Southern California's Aviation Safety and Security Program, where he was the primary human-factors instructor.

He was sworn in as the 37th member of the National Transportation Safety Board on August 21, 2006,[8] whereupon President George W. Bush designated him as vice chairman of the board for a two-year term.[9] In November 2011, President Barack Obama reappointed Sumwalt to an additional five-year term.[10] In March 2017, President Donald Trump reappointed Sumwalt to a five-year term expiring on December 31, 2021 and designated him as Vice Chairman for a term of two years.[11] President Trump subsequently nominated Sumwalt to be NTSB chairman, and in August 2017, the U.S. Senate confirmed Sumwalt to be NTSB's 14th chairman. In 2019, President Trump again nominated him for Chairman of the NTSB. He was reconfirmed by the U.S. Senate in July 2019 for a three-year term as Chairman. He succeeded Christopher A. Hart in this role.[2]

While on the board, he was an advocate for improving safety in all modes of transportation, including teen-driver safety, impaired driving, distractions in transportation, and several rail-safety initiatives.[9]

In 2018 while discussing Air Canada Flight 759, Sumwalt described NOTAMs as "a bunch of garbage that nobody pays any attention to". This led to an initiative to reform the NOTAM system.[12]

Sumwalt retired from chairmanship and membership of NTSB on June 30, 2021.[1] In addition to his current role with Embry-Riddle, Sumwalt is a safety analyst with CBS News[13] and volunteer board member of the Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure.[14][15]

Honors

In recognition of his contributions to the aviation industry, in September 2021, Sumwalt was awarded the Flight Safety Foundation - Boeing Aviation Safety Lifetime Achievement Award. He also received the Flight Safety Foundation's Laura Taber Barbour Award in 2003 and ALPA's Air Safety Award in 2005. He is a 2009 inductee into the South Carolina Aviation Hall of Fame. In recognition of his accomplishments, Sumwalt was awarded an honorary Doctor in Science degree from the University of South Carolina and an Honorary Doctorate Degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.[16]

Publications

See also

References

  1. ^ a b O'Connor, Kate (1 July 2021). "NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt Retires". AVweb. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  2. ^ a b Mulero, Eugene (August 7, 2017). "Senate Confirms Sumwalt for NTSB Chairmanship". Transport Topics. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  3. ^ "Former NTSB Chair Robert Sumwalt to Spearhead New Aviation and Aerospace Safety Center at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University". Embry-Riddle Newsroom. Retrieved 2022-06-07.
  4. ^ "Hon. Robert L. Sumwalt, III". Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
  5. ^ Reed, Jon (August 16, 2013). "Robert Sumwalt, NTSB member on scene of UPS cargo plane crash, is aviation safety expert, former airline pilot". AL.com. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
  6. ^ McInerney, Salley (May 27, 2015). "Columbia man investigates some of biggest air, train disasters in job with NTSB". The State. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
  7. ^ Sumwalt, Robert (September 14, 2016). "The Untold Story behind the National Transportation Safety Board". JDA Journal. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
  8. ^ https://www.ntsb.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/Robert_Sumwalt_sworn_in_for_second_term_as_NTSB_Board_Member.aspx Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  9. ^ a b Mark, Rob (September 29, 2016). "NTSB's Sumwalt Receives Bombardier Safety Standdown Award". Flying Magazine. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
  10. ^ "Presidential Nominations Sent to the Senate October 12, 2011". The American Presidency Project. Archived from the original on 8 August 2017. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
  11. ^ "President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Personnel to Key Administration Posts". The White House. March 23, 2017. Archived from the original on March 24, 2017. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
  12. ^ Freed, Jamie (28 April 2021). "'Bunch of garbage': Campaign to ease pilot overload from antiquated safety warnings". Reuters. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  13. ^ "Former NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt says woman's death could have been prevented in Clarendon Hills Metra crash". www.cbsnews.com. 13 May 2022. Retrieved 2022-06-07.
  14. ^ "Former NTSB Chair Robert Sumwalt joins Aii". ajot.com. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
  15. ^ Oprysko, Caitlin (November 2021). "Restaurants press for smaller fixes with no short-term relief in sight". POLITICO. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
  16. ^ "UofSC's December commencement to feature U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer". University of South Carolina. Retrieved 2020-07-06.

External links

Political offices Preceded byChristopher A. Hart Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board 2017-2021 Succeeded byJennifer Homendy
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