Aero-News has learned Robert
L. Sumwalt was sworn in earlier this morning as a Member of the
National Transportation Safety Board. His term of office will run
until December 31, 2011 -- the first two years of which he will
serve as Vice Chairman of the Board.
Prior to coming to the Board, Sumwalt was Manager of Aviation
for the SCANA Corporation. Sumwalt was a pilot for 24 years with
Piedmont Airlines and then US Airways, logging over 14,000 flight
hours and earning type ratings in five aircraft before retiring
from the airline in 2005.
In a statement to Aero-News, the NTSB says Sumwalt has extensive
experience as an airline captain, airline check airman, instructor
pilot and air safety representative. For example, Sumwalt worked on
special assignment to the US Airways Flight Safety Department from
1997 to 2004, where he was involved in the development of numerous
airline safety programs, including an enhanced crew awareness
program and a windshear training program.
From 2002 to 2004, he served on the US Airways Flight Operations
Quality Assurance (FOQA) Monitoring Team. In that time, Sumwalt
also served as a member of Air Line Pilots Association's (ALPA)
Accident Investigation Board, and also worked with ALPA's Aviation
Weather Committee on improving the quality of weather products
available to pilots.
A trained accident investigator, Mr. Sumwalt participated in the
NTSB's investigation of the crash of US Air flight 427 in 1994 near
Aliquippa PA, and the Transportation Safety Board of Canada's
investigation of the accident involving Swissair flight 111 off the
coast of Nova Scotia in 1998.
Mr. Sumwalt has written extensively on aviation safety matters
and has published over 85 articles and papers in aviation trade
publications. He has broad experience in writing aircraft
operations manuals and airline and corporate aviation policy and
procedure guidelines. He has been a regular contributor to
Professional Pilot magazine.
Sumwalt joined the faculty of the University of Southern
California's Aviation Safety and Security Program, where he has
been the primary human factors instructor. In recognition of his
contributions to the aviation industry, Sumwalt received the Flight
Safety Foundation's Laura Taber Barbour Award in 2003 and ALPA's
Air Safety Award in 2004.
Sumwalt assumes the vice-chairmanship of the Board from Mark
Rosenker, who was sworn in as NTSB Chairman earlier
this month after serving as Acting Chairman since
March 2005.