Washington, DC – Today, the United States Senate unanimously confirmed Dr. Earl Weener of Sherwood, Oregon to the open Republican seat on the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Dr. Earl Weener has dedicated his career to improving airplane and pilot safety and contributed greatly to the development of safety precautions of the commercial airline industry.
“Over the course of his career, Dr. Weener has established himself as a national leader in commercial aviation safety,” Merkley said. “His work has reduced aviation accident rates and helped make air travel safer for all of us. Dr. Weener’s engineering and aviation safety expertise make him an outstanding addition to the National Transportation Safety Board.”
“I am delighted that the Senate has today confirmed me as a Member of the National Transportation Safety Board,” Dr. Weener said. “This Presidential appointment to the NTSB is both an honor and a privilege. I am eager to serve the travelling public of this country through improving an already excellent level of transportation safety.”
In September 2009, Senator Merkley urged Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) to consider recommending Dr. Weener to be the nominee for the open Republican seat on the National Transportation Safety Board.
Read the letter here.
Dr. Weener, formerly a chief engineer at Boeing, has a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering and is currently a fellow at the Flight Safety Foundation. Weener led industry initiatives to improve runway safety, reduce ground accidents and injuries, and is the recipient of a number of awards including the Honeywell Bendix Trophy for Aviation Safety.
The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent Federal agency that issues safety recommendations aimed at preventing future accidents and is in charge of investigating civil aviation, railroad, highway, marine and pipeline accidents in the United States.
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