The Trump administration has removed Alvin Brown from his position as vice-chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), a role he was appointed to during the Biden administration’s transition. This change was confirmed by White House officials, and it took place on Tuesday morning.
Brown had been part of the National Road Safety Commission since March 2024, just before President Donald Trump assumed office. A month later, in December 2024, President Joe Biden appointed him as vice-chairman.
The NTSB is an independent agency tasked with investigating major transportation accidents, including plane crashes, and providing safety guidance to avert such incidents.
A Democrat, Brown made history as Jacksonville, Florida’s first black mayor, serving from 2011 to 2015. He later worked as a Senior Advisor for Community Infrastructure Opportunities in the U.S. Department of Transportation in 2022.
Currently, the NTSB’s website lists four members, all appointed by Trump during his administrations: Jennifer L. Homendy, Michael Graham, Thomas B. Chapman, and J. Todd Inman.
The administration faced significant scrutiny after a plane crash near Washington, D.C. resulted in 67 fatalities when an American Airlines passenger plane collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter close to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Air traffic control issues have recently come to light at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, where controllers temporarily lost communication with a plane. Transport Secretary Sean Duffy addressed the delays on Fox News, indicating plans to overhaul the U.S. air traffic control system with new communication methods, radar, and infrastructure.
“We’re building new air traffic control systems and introducing new controllers,” he explained, acknowledging that this has been a long-standing issue needing attention.
In times like these, ensuring passenger safety becomes a priority, he noted, which sometimes results in fewer departures until everything is back on track.
