National Transportation Safety Board member Todd Inman, who was the NTSB’s initial on scene spokesman at the deadly midair collision over Washington, D.C., last January, was fired from the agency over multiple workplace allegations, the White House said Monday. Inman denies the accusations.
“The White House lawfully removed Todd Inman from the NTSB after receiving highly concerning reports of inappropriate alcohol use on the job, harassment of staff, misuse of government resources, and failure to attend at least half of NTSB meetings,” White House spokesman Kush Desai said in a statement Monday. “The Trump administration remains committed to maintaining safety and security for Americans in the air and on the ground.”
In response to the White House’s statement, Inman told CBS News he categorically denied the allegations, which he said were false.
“It has become increasingly obvious this action was a political hit job,” Inman said in a statement. “While not my original intent I look forward to defending my reputation against those responsible with every legal means possible.”
Days after the NTSB added its fifth board member, Inman said he was fired Friday by the White House Presidential Personnel Office on behalf of President Trump. Aviation news service The Air Current was the first to report on Inman’s departure.
Inman was appointed by former President Joe Biden and confirmed by the Senate in March 2024. He’s a former Department of Transportation official during Mr. Trump’s first term. While he responded to the crash between a regional American Airlines flight and a Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan National Airport — where 67 people aboard both aircraft were killed — Inman became emotional during an interview with CBS News discussing what he saw when he arrived on scene.
“Last night being at that debris field, I expected to see plane debris. When you look over and see those bodies laying, that’s someone’s family, it could be yours,” Inman told CBS News at the time.
In his statement on Sunday, Inman said serving on the board of the NTSB was “a great honor.”
“Having been the member on scene for two of the largest aviation incidents in the past two decades, working with all of the impacted families and first responders has made me appreciate how the original mission of the NTSB is more crucial now than ever before,” he said. “Witnessing these horrible accidents have undoubtedly taken 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.”
The NTSB consists of five board members. The independent agency investigates all fatal general aviation accidents, including commercial accidents and incidents, as well as significant accidents across the various modes of transportation and pipeline accidents. The board does not have regulatory authority. Instead, it determines the probable cause of those accidents and makes safety recommendations to avoid similar ones in the future.
In May 2025, the Trump administration fired another Biden-appointed NTSB member, former vice chairman Alvin Brown. Brown joined the five-person board earlier in 2024, being sworn in on the same day as Inman.
John Deleeuw, formerly American Airlines’ top safety executive, was confirmed by the Senate on Feb. 25. as Brown’s replacement.