NTSB Vice Chair Michael Graham Announced Intent To Retire on October 2

NTSB Vice Chair Michael Graham To Retire October 2

Graham leaving agency within months of confirmation to another term

By Kerry Lynch • Editor, AIN monthly magazine

August 31, 2026

National Transportation Safety Board vice chairman Michael Graham is retiring on October 2 after serving with the agency since 2020. The announcement of Graham’s retirement comes less than four months after the U.S. Senate confirmed him for another term that was to extend through the end of 2030. It also follows, by less than five months, the announcement that he was appointed to fill the vice chairman’s role.

Revered within the industry, Graham came to the Board with a substantial military, business aviation, and safety background. He joined the Board after serving as director of flight operations safety, security, and standardization at Textron Aviation, overseeing safety management systems, emergency response planning, air safety investigations, and airport operations. A former naval aviator, he was also active in business aviation organizations, including as an Air Charter Safety Foundation chairman and on safety committees at NBAA.

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