Mike Whitaker says he will step down as head of the Federal Aviation Administration on Jan. 20. It's not unusual for FAA administrators to resign at the change of administration, though some have stayed longer.
The agreement, which will give controllers 10 hours off between shifts and 12 hours off before and after a midnight shift, comes after close calls between planes that were following orders from controllers.
Flying cars might seem like something out of the distant future. But Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), as the technology is known, is about to land at a general aviation airport near you.
The FAA says Boeing informed the agency in April that required inspections to confirm that the wings were properly bonded to the carbon fiber fuselage on certain 787 jets were not completed.
The move follows a series of recent issues at the airline, including a piece of the outer fuselage falling off one jet, an engine fire and a plane losing a tire during takeoff.
Authorities received emergency calls at the same time about a structure fire and an aircraft that went off radar three miles from a Florida airport. It is still unknown how many fatalities there were.
The Federal Aviation Administration is recommending that airlines visually inspect the door plugs of Boeing 737-900ER jets after some airlines reported unspecified issues with the bolts.
The latest safety lapse at Boeing renews concerns about the company's influence in Washington and whether federal regulators have delegated too much of their oversight authority to its employees.
Authorities said they do not know the cause of the hot air balloon accident at the time. The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are investigating.
Regulators say they're increasing control of Boeing production after a panel blew off a 737 Max 9 jet, and will re-examine whether the company can be trusted to assess the safety of its own planes.
About 170 planes were grounded after the "door plug" on a Boeing 737 Max 9 blew out on an Alaska Airlines flight. United and Alaska are the two big U.S. carriers that fly Boeing jets with door plugs.
The approval of Michael Whitaker, former deputy FAA administrator, ends a span of nearly 19 months in which the agency was without a Senate-confirmed chief.
The acting head of the Federal Aviation Administration will leave the agency this summer, putting pressure on the White House to quickly find a replacement.
Officials say the business jet may have experienced problems with its stability before it hit roughness that caused the death Dana Hyde, a passenger who served in prominent posts for two presidents.
Over the past week, turbulence caused one death on a business jet and seven hospitalizations on a commercial flight. Here's what to know about how to keep yourself safe and why turbulence happens.
