Elon Musk Reportedly Pressured FAA Chief To Quit One Week Before Plane Crash Outside Washington D.C.

Baila Eve ZismanFebruary 1, 2025, 1:58 pmNews >

At the time of the plane crash into the Potomac River on Jan. 29, there was no one in charge of the Federal Aviation Administration.

On Wednesday evening, an American Airlines flight from Witchita, Kansas, crashed into a military helicopter near Washington, D.C., killing all 64 people on board.

FAA administrator Mike Whitaker stepped down from his role on inauguration day after repeatedly clashing with Elon Musk on safety requirements and issues with Musk’s company, SpaceX.

The FAA and Musk were embroiled in disagreement regarding the timeline of SpaceX’s Starship, while the FAA refused to let the rocket leave the ground until it was appropriately inspected and confirmed safe. The most recent grounding of the rocket followed the seventh live test which saw the upper part of the starship explode 90 miles above sea level and forced other aircrafts to change route.

At the time, Musk furiously posted to X, “Humanity will forever be confined to Earth unless there is a radical reform at the FAA!”

In a House hearing, Whitaker told lawmakers of SpaceX, “[The FAA has] been around 20 years…and I think they need to operate at the highest level of safety.”

Musk responded to Whitaker, vowing to sue for “regulatory overreach” and publicly demanding that Whitaker resign.

On Thursday, following the crash, Trump appointed Chris Rocheleau, chief of operations at the lobby group National Business Aviation Association), as the acting administrator of the FAA and blamed the crash on “diversity” hires.

Whitaker is one among many others in leadership positions who have stepped down since Trump’s inauguration. Four other high-profile posts are being staffed by acting appointees, and another six posts, including the deputy administrator, are empty.