Elon Musk pushed Federal Aviation Administration Chief Michael Whitaker from his post just 10 days before the deadly plane and Black Hawk helicopter crash over Washington, DC. Musk, a close Trump advisor who also heads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) had demanded Whitaker step down after the erstwhile FAA chief proposed more than $600,

The administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, Michael Whitaker, resigned from his position on January 20 after repeated demands from Elon Musk that he quit, leaving the agency without a Senate–confirmed leader during a major crisis in the wake of the D.

The Federal Aviation Administration’s leader stepped down on Jan. 20, months after Elon Musk demanded that he quit. The move by Michael Whitaker means the FAA has no Senate-confirmed leader for one of the biggest crises in its history because he quit before Donald Trump took office.