WASHINGTON, D.C. — After a dozen years of investigating crashes and making safety recommendations, Christopher Hart is set to step down from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Jan. 31.

Hart’s latest term as an NTSB board member expired on Dec. 31. During his tenure with the investigative agency, he served a two-year term as chairman from March 2015 to March 2017, and he held the role of acting chairman for almost a year before that.

Hart’s most recent stint at NTSB began in 2009, but he also served a term as a board member from 1990 to ’93.

In recent years, Hart has been a familiar face in the school bus industry, having spoken numerous times at national conferences. He also presided over NTSB’s on-scene investigation of the fatal school bus crash in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in 2016.

In an interview with School Bus Fleet published in 2015, Hart discussed other school bus crash investigations and the agency’s findings on seat belts, among other issues.

In addition to his work with NTSB, Hart’s career in transportation safety has included leadership positions at the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. He is also a licensed pilot with commercial, multi-engine, and instrument ratings.

NTSB's members — five for a full board — are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate for five-year terms. The other current members are Chairman Robert Sumwalt, Earl Weener, and Bella Dinh-Zarr.