President Donald Trump has nominated American Airlines pilot John DeLeeuw to serve on the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). DeLeeuw, who is currently managing director of safety and efficiency at American Airlines and a Boeing 787 captain, was put forward to replace Alvin Brown, a Biden administration appointee removed from the board in May. Brown has since filed a lawsuit challenging his dismissal.
DeLeeuw brings more than three decades of flying experience, logging over 19,000 accident- and incident-free hours, according to his University of Southern California Viterbi School of Engineering profile. In addition to his airline career, he served as a C-130 evaluator and instructor pilot in the U.S. Air Force, participating in Desert Storm and classified special operations missions. He also instructed aviation safety courses at USC Viterbi and completed specialized HALO airdrop operations with Navy SEALs.
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy told Reuters she welcomed the nomination.
“John’s going to be an excellent addition to the board, if confirmed,” Homendy said. “We’re very excited about the nomination, and we’ll be working with him through the process.”
The appointment comes as Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy leads a broad flight safety review following several near-miss incidents, an air traffic controller shortage, and major events including a deadly January midair collision near Washington, D.C.
Amazing! This is the second person truly qualified for the position whom Trump has selected (the first, of course, being Stormy Daniels :wink).
I would appear that John DeLeeuw is a much more qualified candidate for the NTSB Vice Chair position than Alvin Brown. Mr DeLeeuw is a pilot with a strong background in aviation safety whereas Mr. Bown is a politician.