White House says it fired NTSB member over misconduct but Todd Inman denies the allegations

The White House accused the National Transportation Safety Board member it fired of serious misconduct, including drinking on the job and harassing staff, on Monday, but Todd Inman flatly denies the allegations and plans to fight back.

Inman revealed Sunday that he had been fired on Friday without explanation, though his term on the board was supposed to continue through the end of 2027. President DonaldTrump's administration said Monday that it believes the firing is justified.

“The White House lawfully removed Todd Inman from the NTSB after receiving highly concerning reports of inappropriate alcohol use on the job, harassment of staff, misuse of government resources, and failure to attend at least half of NTSB meetings," White House spokesman Kush Desai said. "The Trump administration remains committed to maintaining safety and security for Americans in the air and on the ground.”

Inman said Monday that he hadn't initially planned to sue over his firing, but now says, “I look forward to defending my reputation through all legal means possible.”

“I categorically deny the allegations made in the White House statement. It has become increasingly obvious this action was a political hit job,” said Inman, a Republican who was appointed in March 2024 during former President Joe Biden’s administration.

After Inman's firing and the unexpected dismissal in May of Vice Chair Alvin Brown, a Democrat appointed by Biden, the NTSB currently lists only three members on its website. But the U.S. Senate recently confirmed American Airlines executive John DeLeeuw, and he will become the fourth member of the board that investigates major crashes of planes, trains and automobiles as well as pipeline incidents. The NTSB is currently investigating more than 1,000 cases and will make recommendations on how to prevent similar tragedies when it releases its final reports.

The NTSB has declined to comment on Inman's dismissal.

Inman was the lead board member on scene after last year's midair collision near Washington, D.C., that killed 67 people after an airliner collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter. He also oversaw the initial investigation of the crash of a UPS cargo plane in Kentucky that killed 15 people in November.

Before last year, it was extremely unusual for board members at independent agencies to be dismissed. However, Trump has fired members of the Federal Reserve Board, the Surface Transportation Board, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to clear the way for his own appointees. The five-member NTSB is supposed to be split between three members of the president's party and two members of the other party.

Brown and Robert Primus, who served on the Surface Transportation Board, were the only Black board members overseeing their respective independent agencies when they were fired last year. Both have challenged their firings in court, and the legal services group Democracy Forward has filed discrimination claims on behalf of the men.