Hart's great uncle, James Banning, was the first African-American to receive a pilot's license issued by the U.S. government in 1926.

From 1973 until joining the NTSB in 1990, Hart held a series of legal positions, mostly in the private sector.

[6] Immediately before returning to the board in 2009, Hart was deputy director for air traffic safety oversight at the FAA.

Hart was sworn in as a member of the National Transportation Safety Board on August 12, 2009, and designated by President Obama for a two-year term as vice chairman of the board on August 18, 2009.

[8] Hart has been chosen to serve as the chairman of the FAA's Joint Authorities Technical Review (JATR) team looking into the proposed fix for the Boeing 737 MAX groundings.