Trump names acting FAA leader as flight agency reckons with deadly crash

Published January 30, 2025 11:20am ET



The Federal Aviation Administration will likely come under intense questioning following the fatal plane crash Wednesday night outside Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

It was not clear Thursday morning who was running the agency following Mike Whitaker’s resignation as administrator when President Donald Trump assumed office last week. Administrators of the FAA and similar agencies, including the Transportation Security Administration, are nominated to serve five-year terms in an effort to insulate them from politics.

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