Trump appoints new FAA administrator after vacancy during deadly plane crash. Here's what to know

As first responders searched the Potomac River Thursday following the nation's deadliest airline crash in nearly a quarter of a century, the agency tasked with regulating civilian air travel was without a Senate-approved head.

President Trump moved Thursday, appointing Christopher Rocheleau, a 22-year FAA veteran, as acting administrator of the agency. Mr. Trump described  Rocheleau as "highly respected."

The Federal Aviation Administration's most recent administrator, Michael Whitaker, resigned when President Trump took office last week. Whitaker held the job for 15 months, with the last few marred by criticism from prominent Trump supporter and now-White House official Elon Musk, who chafed at the agency's oversight of his company SpaceX.