US FAA chief resigns over drunk drive charge

[trof]

Source: Reuters


By John Crawley

WASHINGTON | Wed Dec 7, 2011 5:58am EST

(Reuters) - The top U.S. aviation safety official resigned on Tuesday over a drunken driving charge, leaving the Obama administration without a seasoned leader to oversee key legislative and policy initiatives.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement that he had accepted Federal Aviation Administration FAA.L chief Randy Babbitt's resignation one day after the case became public.

Babbitt, 65, was pulled over by police on Saturday night in suburban Virginia for driving on the wrong side of the road. He was charged with drunken driving and released, pending a February court appearance.

A former pilot and union official, Babbitt said he would not "let anything cast a shadow" over the FAA, but did not mention the arrest.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/07/uk-usa-faa-babbitt-idUSLNE7B601Q20111207

---

I know him. He was president of my former union (ALPA) for several years. Former Eastern Airlines pilot.