At a Wednesday Senate Commerce committee hearing on the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) Investigations Report, Senator Reverend Warnock highlighted recent safety lapses by major American transportation corporations like Boeing, Tesla, and Norfolk Southern
During the hearing, Senator Reverend Warnock questioned NTSB Board Chair Homendy whether transportation companies are attempting to maximize profit at the expense of safety
The hearing unpacked NTSB’s recent investigations following the January 2024 Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 incident and the 2023 Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio
Senator Reverend Warnock: “I’m concerned that each of these incidents, though unique in their circumstances, may have been the result of a focus on production targets and profit margins over safety […] in other words, an insufficient safety culture”
Watch Senator Reverend Warnock at Wednesday’s hearing HERE
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA), a member of the Senate Commerce committee which oversees national transportation and aviation policy, questioned National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chair Jennifer Homendy during a committee hearing following the Board’s investigations into safety incidents regarding Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 in January 2024 and the 2023 Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.
Senator Warnock questioned Chair Homendy about the recent pattern of destructive and sometimes fatal incidents in the transportation industry at the hands of major American transportation and aviation companies. During his questioning, the Senator highlighted the importance of maintaining a proper safety culture at these companies, and asked Chair Homendy what the NTSB is doing to promote safety. The Senator followed by asking Chair Homendy what resources the NTSB needs from Congress to improve the safety culture within America’s major transportation companies.
“At the heart of each of these incidences, a massive corporation, a Fortune 500 economic engine for the country that also has a deep lobbying bench,” said Senator Reverend Warnock during his questioning. “I’m concerned that each of these incidents, though unique in their circumstances, may have been the result of a focus on production targets and profit margins over safety […] in other words, an insufficient safety culture in our transportation system and among its suppliers.”
The hearing was prompted by two recent NTSB investigations: an investigation into Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 after a panel was ripped from the side of the Boeing 737 MAX plane mid-flight in January 2024, and a separate investigation into the February 2023 Norfolk Southern Railway train derailment where 38 railcars in East Palestine, Ohio went off the rails and left a community rattled by potential health impacts from the wreckage.
Watch the Senator’s full remarks and line of questioning HERE.
See below transcript of key exchange between Senator Warnock and NTSB Chair Homendy:
Senator Reverend Warnock: “Chair Homendy, welcome back, I would like to briefly revisit the tragic and deadly crashes of Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302. Can you remind me who manufactured these aircraft?”
NTSB Chair, Jennifer Homendy: “The manufacture is Boeing, sir.”
SRW: “Now let’s revisit the 2023 East Palestine, Ohio train derailment. Can you remind me which freight rail carrier operated this train?”
JH: “Norfolk Southern, sir.”
SRW: “What about the recent recall of 2 million vehicles, with autopilot technology, that is the subject of a multi-year National Highway Traffic Safety Administration review. Who manufactures those vehicles?”
JH: “Tesla, sir.”
SRW: “Finally, an incident we’ve heard a lot about today, the Alaska Airlines flight 1282 door plug blow out. Who was in charge of manufacturing that aircraft?”
JH: “Boeing, sir.”
SRW: “So, I see a pattern here. […] Chair Homendy the NTSB has investigated each of these incidents and the company is ultimately tasked with ensuring the safety of their products, throughout your investigations have you seen any evidence that these companies may be maximizing profit at the expense of safety?”
JH: “We do not have evidence of that, either way.”
SRW: “What tools does the NTSB have to investigate and improve the safety culture within these companies and across the broader transportation system?”
JH: “With respect to safety culture, we delve in safety culture in many of our investigations. For Norfolk Southern we are doing a sperate investigation involving organizational safety culture with respect to Norfolk Southern because we are currently investigating eight accidents involving Norfolk Southern that occurred in a relatively short time period.”
SRW: “Does the NTSB need additional tools from Congress to improve the safety culture within these companies?”
JH: “Our best resource is our people. They are top-notch, world-renowned investigators who know how to evaluate safety culture within any entity and identify deficiencies. We need people and we need training for those people. That is a direct investment in safety.”