By Terry Maxon/Reporter
tmaxon@dallasnews.com | Bio
4:11 PM on Tue., Dec. 6, 2011 | Permalink
Administrator Randy Babbitt of the Federal Aviation Administration resigned Tuesday, three days after he was arrested in Virginia on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.
Here's Babbitt's statement released by the FAA on Tuesday afternoon:
"Today I submitted my resignation to Secretary Ray LaHood and it has been accepted. Serving as FAA Administrator has been an absolute honor and the highlight of my professional career. But I am unwilling to let anything cast a shadow on the outstanding work done 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by my colleagues at the FAA. They run the finest and safest aviation system in the world and I am grateful that I had the opportunity to work alongside them. I am confident in their ability to successfully carry out all of the critical safety initiatives underway and the improvements that the FAA has planned. I also want to thank Secretary LaHood for his leadership and dedication to the safety of the traveling public."
Babbitt has flown as a pilot at Eastern Airlines and was president of the Air Line Pilots Association before working as an aviation consultant. He was named the top person at FAA in June 2009 by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.
Although Babbitt was arrested Saturday night, LaHood didn't find out until Monday afternoon. According to the DOT on Monday, Babbitt then requested a leave of absence.
No word yet on his replacement. Deputy Administrator Michael Huerta was named Monday as acting administrator after Babbitt was put on leave.
No comments:
Post a Comment