Robert Talcott Francis II is former Vice Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, a position to which he was appointed by President Clinton in January 1995 and confirmed by the United States Senate.
After joining the Safety Board, Mr. Francis was the senior NTSB official at a number of transportation accident investigations, including the explosion and crash of TWA Flight 800 off Long Island, New York; the crash of ValuJet Flight 592 in the Florida Everglades, and a Learjet accident in South Dakota. Mr. Francis also has chaired a number of Safety Board public hearings including the hearing on Part 145 aviation maintenance practices and oversight and the hearing on Korean Air Flight 801 that crashed in Guam.
In addition to his accident investigation work, he is actively involved as a member of the Flight Safety Foundation’s ICARUS Committee, a group composed of worldwide aviation experts who gather informally to share ideas on reducing human error in the cockpit. He has specialized in international aviation safety issues, and has spoken extensively both in the U.S. and internationally about aviation safety and security. While at the Safety Board, he was instrumental in assisting Taiwan in setting up an independent aviation investigative organization; and after leaving the Board, he worked with the Egyptian Government on a similar project.
Prior to his appointment to the Safety Board, Mr. Francis, bilingual in English and French, served as Senior Representative for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in Western Europe and North Africa based in Paris, France. Representing the FAA Administrator, he worked extensively on aviation safety and security issues with U.S. and foreign air carriers, transportation governmental authorities, aircraft manufacturers, and airports. While at Farragut, he has maintained his contacts with senior European aviation officials at the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC), the JAA and national authorities.
During his posting in Paris, Mr. Francis represented the FAA to eight countries of Western Europe and North Africa. After the bombing of Pan American flight 103, he testified before the Presidential Commission on Pan Am 103, was instrumental in the setting up of regional FAA security offices in Europe and worked extensively with FAA, US manufacturers as well as European counterparts on explosive detection technology.
In addition to his speaking engagements, Mr. Francis does safety consulting for a major U.S. carrier as well as a U.S. airport and a manufacturer. He also has done international aviation consulting most recently for a carrier in Australia.
Mr. Francis is a recipient of an Aviation Week and Space Technology 1996 Laurels Award and was recognized by both the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard for meritorious service in the TWA Flight 800 investigation. He is also a recipient of the L. Welch Pogue Award presented by Aviation Week in recognition of his achievements in aviation safety and operations.
A native of Cohasset, Massachusetts, Mr. Francis received his A.B. from Williams College and attended Boston University and the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. He holds a commercial pilot certificate with instrument and twin-engine ratings. He is a member of the French Academy of Air & Space, a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, a member of the Wings Club of New York, and a trustee of the Aero Club of Washington.
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