Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Michael Whitaker resigned on Jan. 20, just days before a deadly collision between a military helicopter and an American Airlines passenger jet as it prepared to land at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night.
Whitaker had been in his role for just a year before stepping down
According to HuffPost, Whitaker stepped down as the FAA administrator after over a year on the job. In recent years, he and Elon Musk, head of the Department of Government Efficiency, had clashed over safety issues at his space company, Space X.
Newly confirmed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy declined to answer a reporter’s question Thursday about whether someone was named acting FAA director to speak on the airline crash.
Whitaker and Musk clashed over imposed fines at Space X
Chris Rocheleau, a 22-year-veteran of the FAA, was sworn in as deputy administrator last week, making him the department head. However, the New York Post reported that the Senate has not yet confirmed him.
Musk called for Whitaker’s resignation after he imposed more than $633,009 in fines in September 2024 against Space X after two of its rockets launched in 2023 without making approved changes to its license agreements, per the Post.
‘We don’t believe there are any survivors from this accident‘
Blavity reported the military helicopter and passenger jet collided midair Wednesday night, sending both aircrafts into the Potomac River near Raegan National Airport. The plane, American Eagle Flight 5342, operated by PSA Airlines, an American Airlines subsidiary, was traveling from Wichita, Kansas.
The Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet carried 60 passengers and four crew members, while the Black Hawk helicopter had three military personnel aboard. There were no survivors from either aircraft following the deadly fiery collision.
“We are now at a point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation,” District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Chief John Donnelly said at a news conference Thursday, per CNN. “At this point, we don’t believe there are any survivors from this accident.”
At that time, more than 28 bodies had been pulled from the plane and one from the helicopter. According to The Associated Press, 40 bodies have now been recovered.
