NTSB vice chairman Graham to retire, shrinking board to three members

Michael Graham, vice chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, said he will retire effective Oct. 2. The announcement came just over three months after the Senate confirmed him in May to a new five-year term set to expire at the end of 2030.

Graham had also been named the board's vice chairman by President Donald Trump less than six months earlier, for a three-year term. No reason was given for the timing of his departure.

The NTSB is designed to operate with five members but currently has four: Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy, Graham, Tom Chapman and John DeLeeuw. Graham's exit would leave only three members unless a replacement is seated beforehand. Federal law sets three as the minimum needed for the board to carry out its official functions.

The agency has seen significant turnover over the past year. Former member Alvin Brown was removed by the White House in May 2025, and Todd Inman was removed in March. DeLeeuw, a former American Airlines safety executive and Boeing 787 captain, joined the board that same month.

Graham became an NTSB member in January 2020 after working as director of flight operations safety, security and standardization at Textron Aviation. A former Navy F/A-18 pilot and airline transport pilot with more than 10,000 flight hours, he served as the board member on scene for several major investigations, including the 2022 Wings Over Dallas midair collision. During his tenure he pushed for wider use of flight data monitoring and safety management systems across the industry.