Columbia man sworn in as head of NTSB
Robert Sumwalt III of Columbia is the new head of the National Transportation Safety Board.
Sumwalt, a member of the board since 2006, was sworn in Thursday after the U.S. Senate last week confirmed his nomination by President Donald Trump.
A graduate of Dreher High School and the University of South Carolina, Sumwalt spent years as a pilot for Piedmont Airlines and U.S. Airways. He later headed the aviation department of SCANA.
Nationally, Sumwalt is best known for acting as the NTSB’s spokesman after the fatal 2015 derailment of an Amtrak train in Philadelphia.
Bristow Marchant: 803-771-8405, @BristowatHome, @BuzzAtTheState
This story was originally published August 11, 2017 at 4:16 PM with the headline "Columbia man sworn in as head of NTSB."