Former NTSB Chairman Jim Burnett
passed away in his hometown of Clinton, AR, at the age of 62.
The Associated Press reports that Burnett, a Reagan appointee,
served as Chairman of the body from 1982-1988. He had been
appointed by the President the previous year.
Burnett had been active in Republican Party politics since 2004,
when be became a national committeeman from the state of Arkansas.
He reportedly passed away due to complications from
Burnett was on the NTSB when the national drinking age was
raised to 21-years-old. In 1996, he was inducted into the Space
Technology Hall of Fame for his work on fire-retardant airplane
seats. A monument to Burnett was erected in 1994 by the Japanese
IREI Air Safety Foundation near the spot where a JAL airliner went
down in 1985. The monument praises Burnett for his leadership and
dedication to airline safety.