NTSB official to visit Purdue, discuss safety issues
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — National Transportation Safety Board member Robert Sumwalt will speak at Purdue University's Fowler Hall in Stewart Center at 7 p.m. Tuesday (April 17).
During the two-hour presentation "Professionalism and Aviation Safety," Sumwalt will discuss how professionalism affects safety in an array of industries, including aviation.
"Purdue has developed a reputation for preparing professionals who respond calmly in a crisis, from (Neil) Armstrong landing on the moon with dwindling fuel to (Chesley) Sullenberger landing on the Hudson with no engines," said John Mott, managing editor of the Journal of Aviation Technology & Engineering. "The presentation will appeal to a wide range of audiences."
Sumwalt has served on the NTSB since 2006. He was a pilot for a combined 24 years at Piedmont Airlines and US Airways and won multiple industry safety awards. He writes extensively on airline safety issues and has served as a safety consultant to NASA.
The presentation is sponsored by Purdue's Department of Aviation Technology and the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics. It is free and open to the public.
Writer: Jim Schenke, 765-494-6262, jschenke@purdue.edu
Source: John Mott, clinical assistant professor of aviation technology, 317-381-6075, jhmott@purdue.edu