NTSB Press Release
National Transportation Safety Board
Office of Public Affairs
CHAIRMAN JAMES E. HALL REAPPOINTED HEAD OF NTSB
June 13, 1996
(Washington, D.C.) -- Chairman James E. Hall will serve another two-year term as head of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). On June 11, the Senate confirmed his re-nomination for the position by President Clinton. Hall became a member of the Safety Board in October, 1993. He was later appointed vice chairman and in October, 1994, was sworn in as the Board's eighth chairman.
Hall has been the board member on-scene at several major transportation accidents including the January 1994 derailment of the Ringling Brothers Circus train in Florida; the October 1994 crash of an American Eagle ATR-72 in Roselawn, Indiana; and the December 1994 accident of an American Eagle Jetstream near Raliegh-Durham, North Carolina. He chaired the Board of Inquiry for the Safety Board public hearing into the September 1994 crash of USAir flight #427 in Pittsburgh, as well as a 1995 hearing concerning runway incursions. Hall also chaired a safety forum focusing on commercial air service in Alaska.
Hall helped to create a more open dialog between the family members of air accident victims, the DOT, and the airlines. For this, his persistent attempt to resolve the USAir #427 accident, and his efforts to upgrade flight data recorders on U. S. airlines, Aviation Week and Space Technology presented him, in January 1996, with an "Aviation Laurel."
Established in 1967, the NTSB is an independent federal agency responsible for investigating and determining the probable causes of major transportation accidents and makes recommendations to improve safety. The Safety Board is also responsible for conducting special studies and investigations on matters pertaining to transportation safety, and reviewing and evaluating the performance of other agencies in providing a safe transportation environment.
A native of Tennessee, Hall and his wife, the former Anne Stewart Impink, have two daughters.
Media contact: NTSB Office of Public Affairs
(202) 314-6100
###
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is an independent federal agency charged with determining the probable cause
of transportation accidents, promoting transportation safety, and assisting victims of transportation accidents and their families.
