It appears that the first major air disaster in the U.S. since 2009 has occurred while the Federal Aviation Administration does not have a permanent leader.

The Federal Aviation Administration will likely come under intense questioning following the fatal plane crash Wednesday night outside Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. But who exactly is leading the FAA,

Mike Whitaker, unanimously confirmed as the FAA administrator in October 2023, stepped down early from his five-year term on Jan. 20 when Trump took office and for 10 days the FAA declined to say who was running the agency on an acting basis. Trump has not yet named a permanent candidate to replace Whitaker.

Trump said he didn't know what caused the crash but "we have some very strong opinions and ideas."

President Trump appointed Christopher Rocheleau, a 22-year FAA veteran, as acting administrator of the agency.

President Trump on Thursday named Chris Rocheleau as acting administrator for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) after a fatal plane crash near Washington, D.C. The big picture: Rocheleau worked at the FAA for more than two decades and most recently served as an executive at a professional aviation association.

The collision involved a Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet operated by PSA Airlines and a military Black Hawk helicopter.

A midair collision near D.C. has raised concerns over FAA staffing, prompting scrutiny of air traffic control and aviation safety oversight.

President Donald Trump on Thursday claimed, without citing evidence, that diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives for air traffic controllers at the Federal Aviation Administration -- under Democratic presidents -- were partly to blame for the tragic plane and helicopter collision in Washington on Wednesday night.

The controller was handling jobs typically assigned to two different controllers. Read more at straitstimes.com.

"This was not the enemy," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said about New Jersey's mysterious drone sightings.

Staffing in the air traffic control tower was "not normal" at time of the midair collision between an American Airlines passenger jet and an Army helicopter near Washington, D.C., according to a report by the Federal Aviation Administration.