Chuck Darwin<p>FAA Leader Quit Before D.C. Plane Crash—Thanks to Elon Musk</p><p>The administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, <a href="https://c.im/tags/Michael" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Michael</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/Whitaker" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Whitaker</span></a>, resigned from his position on January 20 <br>-- after repeated demands from Elon Musk that he quit, <br>-- leaving the agency without a Senate-confirmed leader during a major crisis in the wake of the D.C. plane crash.</p><p>Musk called for Whitaker’s resignation in September after the FAA chief proposed fining Musk’s company SpaceX over $600,000 in civil penalties for failing to follow license requirements during two launches in 2023. </p><p>Whitaker told a congressional panel at the time that fines were “the only tool we have to get compliance on safety matters.”</p><p>The tech CEO and fascism enthusiast repeatedly attacked Whitaker from his X account, <br>claiming in one post that the FAA was “harassing SpaceX.” </p><p>Musk also replied to an X poster who said the FAA “should not exist” and attacked Whitaker for preventing his goal of colonizing Mars.</p><p>“The fundamental problem is that humanity will forever be confined to Earth unless there is radical reform at the FAA!” Musk posted in a reply to Australian YouTuber Marcus House.</p><p>FAA administrators typically serve for a five-year term, <br>but Whitaker only served for one year, <br>replacing Trump appointee Stephen Dickson in 2022. </p><p>Whitaker had been confirmed by a bipartisan 98–0 Senate vote in October 2023.</p><p>On Wednesday, a commercial American Airlines flight collided with an Army helicopter above Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C., <br>killing everyone on board both aircraft.</p><p>Since January 20, the head of the FAA has been deputy FAA administrator <a href="https://c.im/tags/Chris" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Chris</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/Rocheleau" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Rocheleau</span></a>, <br>who was only sworn in last week, giving him a stiff learning curve early on the job.</p><p>When Whitaker announced in December that he would resign, he told FAA staff in an email, </p><p>“The United States is the safest and most complex airspace in the world, and that is because of your commitment to the safety of the flying public.” </p><p>Wednesday’s disaster will certainly raise questions as to whether something went wrong in air safety protocols and whether disruption at the agency contributed to the crash.<br><a href="https://newrepublic.com/post/190942/faa-no-leader-dc-plane-crash-elon-musk" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">newrepublic.com/post/190942/fa</span><span class="invisible">a-no-leader-dc-plane-crash-elon-musk</span></a></p>