Honorable Christopher A. Hart
Vice Chairman
Vice Chairman Christopher A. Hart was sworn in as a Member of the National Transportation Safety Board on August 12, 2009, and designated by the President for a 2-year term as Vice Chairman of the Board on August 18, 2009. He is currently serving his second term as Vice Chairman, having been re-designated by the President on August 24, 2011.
Vice Chairman 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 (FAA). 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.
Vice Chairman Hart is a licensed pilot with commercial, multi-engine, and instrument ratings.
Vice Chairman 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 U.S. Government in 1926.
His term as Member expires December 31, 2012.
Speeches and Testimony
Read Vice Chairman Hart's remarks concerning transportation safety >
