(Photo Courtesy NTSB) Her name may not ring a bell with most Americans, but they have no doubt seen National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Deborah Hersman at the forefront of some of the most significant transportation accidents of the last five years, including the Asiana 214 crash in San Francisco last year. She announced today that she will leave the NTSB at the end of April.
When I worked as a reporter in Alaska, Hersman came up to investigate the 2010 crash that killed former Sen. Ted Stevens. At first I thought her delivery during press conferences was almost monotone or robotic, but it quickly became clear that this was a deliberate style -- there was no misunderstanding what she was telling you. She was there to state the facts as they were available and explain the process of investigating a crash.
Sometimes reporters can ask silly questions, but I've found that NTSB investigators, including Hersman, generally handle press conferences with great skill, making explicitly clear to the press the NTSB objectives and timelines.
For those of you who don't really know what it is, the NTSB is an independent federal agency tasked with investigating every aviation accident, as well as some rail, vehicle, marine, and pipeline incidents. Their work saves lives and prevents injuries. They publish recommendations at the conclusion of their investigation that can result in significant changes in air safety policy.
Hersman is to be commended for making the NTSB more visible and more accessible, not only to the press, but also the public. Take for example the stunning photos they tweeted following Asiana 214:
When I worked as a reporter in Alaska, Hersman came up to investigate the 2010 crash that killed former Sen. Ted Stevens. At first I thought her delivery during press conferences was almost monotone or robotic, but it quickly became clear that this was a deliberate style -- there was no misunderstanding what she was telling you. She was there to state the facts as they were available and explain the process of investigating a crash.
Sometimes reporters can ask silly questions, but I've found that NTSB investigators, including Hersman, generally handle press conferences with great skill, making explicitly clear to the press the NTSB objectives and timelines.
For those of you who don't really know what it is, the NTSB is an independent federal agency tasked with investigating every aviation accident, as well as some rail, vehicle, marine, and pipeline incidents. Their work saves lives and prevents injuries. They publish recommendations at the conclusion of their investigation that can result in significant changes in air safety policy.
Hersman is to be commended for making the NTSB more visible and more accessible, not only to the press, but also the public. Take for example the stunning photos they tweeted following Asiana 214:
Photo of charred cabin interior of Asiana flight 214. #Asiana214 pic.twitter.com/PkvZz7JjD6
— NTSB (@NTSB) July 11, 2013 Let’s hope the agency's next leader continues to engage the drivers, commuters, passengers, and pilots who are affected by their work daily.
I'll leave you with this story NBC News produced about what Hersman, a mother of three, is like when she's away from the office (may not work on mobile devices):
I'll leave you with this story NBC News produced about what Hersman, a mother of three, is like when she's away from the office (may not work on mobile devices):
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