Hart Tapped for NTSB

President Obama plans to nominate aviation safety expert Christopher A. Hart to be a member of the National Transportation Safety Board.

That board investigates accidents across all forms of passenger and commercial transportation, and makes recommendations on how other agencies can improve their safety systems.

For instance, NTSB this week is probing the rush-hour crash of two transit rail trains in Washington, D.C., and has pointed out that one of the trains is a model the board long ago urged removing from service for its structural risks.

Hart is an attorney with two engineering degrees, and past service as an NTSB member from 1990 to 1993. Since 1995, the White House said, he has worked at the Federal Aviation Administration to create processes that “help identify and address potential safety issues before they cause mishaps.” He is a veteran pilot with commercial, multi-engine, and instrument ratings

Hart’s nomination, which is subject to Senate confirmation, would also bring to the board his experience working with the health care, nuclear power, chemical manufacturing and financial industries to improve their risk management systems.

Hart previously served as deputy administrator at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, deputy assistant general counsel at the Department of Transportation, an attorney with the Air Transport Association of America and managing partner of the law firm Hart, Carroll & Chavers in Washington, D.C.

Contact John D. Boyd at jboyd@joc.com.