Chris Hart, Vice Chairman, NTSB

Christopher A. Hart was sworn in as a Member of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on August 12, 2009 and designated by the President for a two-year term as Vice Chairman of the Board on August 18.

Chris Hart

Vice Chairman Hart presented testimony before the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Subcommittee on Energy and Environment, at a hearing on “Pipeline Safety Oversight and Legislation” on Thursday, 23 September 2010. The hearing addressed recent pipeline safety incidents and proposals for reauthorization or reform of the pipeline safety statute.

Member Hart joined the Board after a long career in transportation safety, including a previous term as a Member of the NTSB. Immediately before returning to the Board, Member Hart was Deputy Director for Air Traffic Safety Oversight at the Federal Aviation Administration. He was previously the FAA Assistant Administrator for the Office of System Safety.

He served as a Member of the NTSB from 1990 to 1993. After leaving the Board, he served as Deputy Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, before moving to the FAA in 1995.

From 1973 until joining the Board in 1990, Member Hart held a series of legal positions, mostly in the private sector. He holds a law degree from Harvard University and Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University. He is a member of the District of Columbia Bar and the Lawyer-Pilots Bar Association.

Member Hart is a licensed pilot with commercial, multi-engine and instrument ratings.

Member Hart’s family has a tradition of accomplishment in the field of transportation. His great uncle, James Herman Banning, was the first African-American to receive a pilot’s license issued by the United States government, in 1926.

His term expires December 31, 2012. (NTSB)