WHO'S WHO - TWA Flight 800 Public Hearing

Members of the Board of Inquiry:

James E. Hall
Chairman, National Transportation Safety Board

Vernon S. Ellingstad
Director, Office of Research and Engineering

Bernard S. Loeb
Director, Office of Aviation Safety

Barry M. Sweedler
Director, Office of Safety Recommendations and Accomplishments

Investigator-in-Charge:

Al Dickinson

The NTSB Technical Panel

Some of the Safety Board investigators that have participated in the investigation serve on the Technical Panel. Depending on the topics to be addressed at the hearing, the panel often includes specialists in the areas of aircraft performance, powerplants, systems, structures, operations, air traffic control, weather, survival factors, and human factors. Those involved in reading out the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder, and in reviewing witness and maintenance records also might participate in the hearing.

Expert Witnesses

Expert witnesses are called to testify under oath on selected topics to assist the Safety Board in its investigation. The testimony is intended to expand the public record and to demonstrate to the public that a complete, open and objective investigation is being conducted. The witnesses who are called to testify have been selected because of their ability to provide the best available information on the issues related to the accident.

Parties to the Hearing

Parties to the hearing are designated by the Safety Board Member who is the presiding officer of the hearing. They include those persons, governmental agencies, companies, and associations whose participation in the hearing is deemed necessary in the public interest and whose special knowledge will contribute to the development of pertinent evidence are designated as parties. Typically, they include the Federal Aviation Administration, operator, airframe manufacturer, engine manufacturer, pilots union, and any other organization that can assist the Safety Board in completing its record of the investigation. Except for the FAA, party status is a privilege, not a right. Parties are asked to appoint a single spokesperson for the hearing.