NTSB members are strongly dissatisfied with the way in which Board chairman Ellen Engleman Conners is attempting to curb their activities. Three Board members–Carol Carmody, Richard Healing and Deborah Hersman–sent a letter to the chairman late this summer expressing their concerns. The Board did not make the letter public, but AIN obtained a copy of it. The letter expresses frustration with various changes the chairman has introduced since her appointment in March last year. The issues range from bureaucratic policies regarding acquisition of office supplies, at one extreme, to matters of direct interest to pilots and aircraft operators that can be summarized as concern for the Board’s role as a respected safety watchdog.
The five Board members, including the chairman, are appointed by the White House as independent individuals with equal standing, each member having one vote. Outside the five-member board, the chairman is charged with administering the overall organization of accident investigators and support staff.
More In Regulations and Government
