Federal Aviation Administration Chief Michael Whitaker resigned from his position just 10 days before the deadly plane and Black Hawk helicopter crash over Washington, DC, Wednesday.
Whitaker — who held the post for only a year and had four years left in his term — announced he would step down after President Trump was sworn in, leaving the FAA without a leader in a time of virtually unprecedented disaster for the agency.
Chris Rocheleau — a 22-year-veteran of the FAA — was last week sworn in as deputy administrator, putting him in charge in an acting capacity, however, the Senate has yet to confirm a permanent replacement.
Newly-confirmed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy declined to answer reporters’ questions Thursday about the state of the agency’s leadership at the time of the crisis.
Elon Musk, a close Trump advisor who also heads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) had called for Whitaker’s ouster after the erstwhile FAA chief proposed more than $600,000 in fines for SpaceX — Musk’s aerospace firm.
The proposal to impose $633,009 in civil penalties came in September after SpaceX allegedly conducted two rocket launches in 2023 with unapproved changes in violation of its license requirements.
Whitaker’s tenure at FAA was marked in large part by persistent safety and quality issues at Boeing, but he also worked to alleviate the agency’s longstanding struggles with the staffing of air traffic controllers.
Elon Musk pushed Federal Aviation Administration Chief Michael Whitaker from his post just 10 days before the deadly plane and Black Hawk helicopter crash over Washington, DC. via REUTERS
Whitaker announced he would step down after President Trump was sworn in, leaving the FAA without a leader in a time of virtually unprecedented disaster for the agency. REUTERS
Emergency response units searched the crash site of the American Airlines plane on the Potomac River after it approached Reagan National Airport on January 30, 2025. Getty Images
Jack Forbes / NY Post DesignFollow the NYP’s coverage of the deadly DC plane collision
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American Eagle Flight 5342 collided mid-air with the Army helicopter as it was landing at Reagan Washington National Airport late Wednesday night.
The plane, heading to DC from Wichita, Kansas, was carrying 60 passengers and four crewmembers — the chopper had three on board, Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser told reporters.
The American Airlines flight collided with a Black Hawk on Wednesday night.
So far, 28 bodies have been pulled from the icy depths of the Potomac River, but rescue efforts have transitioned to a recovery mission as President Trump said during a Thursday morning press conference that no survivors were expected to be found.
The incident is likely to go down as the worst US aviation disaster in nearly 25 years.
