US official vows to ‘fix’ FAA after fatal collision

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said late on Thursday he will soon announce a plan to reform the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) after a devastating collision between an American Airlines regional plane and an Army helicopter killed 67 people. "I am in the process of developing an initial plan to fix the @FAANews. I hope to put it out very shortly," Duffy said on X. President Donald Trump who has harshly criticized diversity efforts at the FAA, directed an immediate assessment of aviation safety on Thursday. Earlier, Trump said he had appointed a former senior aviation official as the acting head of the FAA - just one day after the deadliest U.S. air disaster in more than 20 years. The announcement came after an American Airlines regional passenger jet collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and crashed into the Potomac River near Reagan Washington National Airport. Chris Rocheleau, a U.S. Air Force veteran who worked at the FAA for more than 20 years, was previously COO of the National Business Aviation Association. Sources said Liam McKenna, who was the counsel to the Senate Commerce Committee, has also been named chief counsel at the FAA. Rocheleau has been at the FAA since last week, the sources added.<br/>