Deborah Hersman earned a second term of the National Transportation Safety Board last week. The two-year term runs through 2013. Hersman has been a busy and active leader of the board. While her first term was thankfully free from any major U.S. airline accidents, she nonetheless oversaw investigations into a number of high-profile crashes, including the one in Alaska that claimed the life of former Senator Ted Stevens.
Like many of her predecessors, Hersman has been vocal in asking for more and better safety and recording equipment in business aircraft, to make the often difficult job of investigating accidents easier and the safety record better. Despite her strong views on safety and mandatory equippage, views that potentially can lead to expensive mandated hardware installations for business aircraft, Hersman is well regarded in the business aviation community as a leader who listens to alternative views before weighing in with recommendations.
