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,

Following the catastrophe of Flight 5342, President Trump named an interim replacement for the vacant position of FAA administrator after the SpaceX founder chased out predecessor Mike Whitaker.

Mike Whitaker, the previous FAA administrator, stepped down on Inauguration Day after just over a year on the job. He’d repeatedly clashed with Elon Musk — now in charge of a group tasked with slashing the government’s headcount by President Donald Trump — over safety issues at his space company,

The leader of the Federal Aviation Administration stepped down from his position mere months after billionaire Elon Musk demanded that he do so, meaning that the FAA is missing a chief in the aftermath of the worst aviation disaster in the US in years.

The Federal Aviation Administration is facing its first major aviation disaster in 16 years without a leader because Elon Musk helped push him out. Michael Whitaker stepped down as FAA administrator on January 20th,