Owensboro native J. Todd Inman is serving as the lead spokesperson for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) as investigators work to determine the cause of Thursday morning’s deadly mid-air collision between a passenger jet and a helicopter near Washington, D.C.
Inman, who was appointed to the NTSB last year, addressed reporters Thursday during a news conference at Reagan National Airport, where he confirmed that investigators are still gathering information and have not yet reviewed reports regarding air traffic controller staffing at the time of the crash.
“We have not reviewed any specific reports about the controllers at this time, at least from the leadership team,” Inman said during the news conference. “Our investigators are continuing to pull all that information – their personnel records, their files, where they were, whether they were fatigued. All that information will be part of that investigative process. But right now, we can’t speculate on anything that may have been reported in the media until we get the opportunity to validate and understand how it impacts the investigation.”
Inman also responded to questions regarding President Donald Trump’s comments on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in relation to aviation safety, stating that the NTSB’s focus remains on a thorough investigation.
“Well, unfortunately, I didn’t hear the remarks. I was briefing House and Senate members,” Inman said.
He deferred to NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy, who said they would look at human, machine, and environmental elements.
“So we will look at all the humans that were involved in this accident. Again, we will look at the aircraft. We will look at the helicopter. We will look at the environment in which they were operating in. That is standard in any part of our investigation,” she said during the news conference.
Inman, who previously served as Chief of Staff at the U.S. Department of Transportation under Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, has experience in transportation safety. His role on the NTSB includes overseeing aviation safety investigations, with a particular focus on emerging transportation technologies.
During the news conference, Inman became emotional while discussing the impact of the tragedy on the victims’ families and the broader aviation community.
“The loss of life in an aviation accident is very unusual in the United States, and our heartfelt sorrow goes out to everyone that’s affected,” he said. “It affects us; it affects everyone around us. There are a lot of people hurting today. We will help find out what happened. We’ll do it factually; we’ll do it accurately.”
Before his national-level positions, Inman lived in Owensboro for nearly two decades, working as a State Farm insurance agent and serving on local boards, including the Owensboro-Daviess County Regional Airport board. His experience in Owensboro, he told Owensboro Times previously, continues to shape his perspective in federal roles.
For more information on Inman’s background and his appointment with the NTSB, read our previous coverage here.
The NTSB investigation into the collision remains ongoing, with officials emphasizing that they will release verified findings as they become available.
