Who is Chris Rocheleau? Trump’s acting FAA administrator will navigate deadly plane crash aftermath

[ResidentialBusiness]

President Donald Trump announced on Thursday he appointed Chris Rocheleau, a former senior aviation official, as the acting head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Rocheleau will be handling the response to the deadly collision of an American Airlines plane with an Army Black Hawk helicopter that sent both plunging into the Potomac River on Wednesday night. He will serve in the position until President Trump’s nominee is confirmed by the Senate.

Michael Whitaker, the FAA’s most recent administrator, resigned as President Trump took office, following public criticism from SpaceX CEO Elon Musk who had called on Whitaker to “resign.”

Rocheleau has more than two decades of experience working for the FAA, serving in multiple roles there, including: acting associate administrator for aviation safety; chief of staff; assistant administrator for policy, international affairs, and environment; executive director for international affairs; and director of the office of emergency operations and investigations. Most recently, he served as an executive at the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA).

“Chris is an outstanding leader who will be good for the FAA, good for aviation and good for the country, especially at this challenging time,” said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen in a statement. “He has demonstrated excellence at every level in the government, military, and aviation industry.”

The announcement comes after an American Airlines regional jet with 64 people on board collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter with three soldiers on board near Washington, D.C.’s Reagan Washington National Airport. Officials said they expected no survivors.

The American Airlines flight included several figure skaters, including 1994 world champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov.

On Thursday, the president appeared to falsely blame a “diversity push” at the FAA for the midair collision, even blaming Democrats for their policies. Tennessee Garvey, a pilot and the chair of the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals, has pushed back against President Trump’s comments.

The plane wreckage is currently being housed in Hangar 7 at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. A preliminary report into the investigation will be released in one month.

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