NTSB Member Will Talk About Accident Investigation Process

Robert Sumwalt, the 37th board member of the NTSB, will present "An Insider's View of NTSB Accident Investigation" at 1400 in the Reid Conference Center on Tuesday, March 2, at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA. Sumwalt will discuss the NTSB's investigative process and techniques, and discuss the results of several aviation accident investigations.

On Tuesday evening, Sumwalt will present a similar talk for the general public at 1930 at the Virginia Air & Space Center in downtown Hampton. The evening presentation is free and no reservations are required.

The NTSB, an independent Federal agency, is charged by Congress with investigating each civil and public-use aviation accident in the U.S., and is often called upon to assist the international community when an aviation disaster occurs outside the United States. NTSB personnel known as "Go" Team members are on call 24/7/365, and when a major aircraft accident occurs, officials from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) dispatch a "Go" Team to the accident scene.

From 1991 to 1999, Sumwalt (pictured, right) conducted aviation safety research as a consultant to NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System, studying various issues including flight crew performance and air carrier de-icing and anti-icing problems.

Prior to his NTSB appointment, Sumwalt was a pilot for US Airways and Piedmont Airlines for 24 years, logging over 14,000 flight hours on five different types of aircraft before retiring in 2005. During this time, he served as a member of Air Line Pilots Association's (ALPA) Accident Investigation Board from 2002 to 2004, and chaired ALPA's Human Factors and Training Group. 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.

President Bush appointed Sumwalt to a two-year term as vice chairman from 2006 to 2008.

Since joining the NTSB, Sumwalt served as Chairman of the Board of Inquiry for June 2009 public hearing for the accident involving US Airways flight 1549 and for the NTSB's 2009 public hearing regarding emergency medical services (EMS) helicopters. Additionally, he has served as the Member on-scene for several transportation accidents.

FMI: http://shemesh.larc.nasa.gov/Lectures/