Stephen Dickson, administrator of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) nominee, speaks during a Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation confirmation hearing in Washington D.C., May 15, 2019.
Stefani Reynolds | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Federal Aviation Administrator Steve Dickson, who headed the agency in the wake of two fatal Boeing 737 Max crashes, resigned on Wednesday, effective March 31.
Dickson’s announcement came halfway into his five-year term. In an e-mail to staff, Dickson said after long separations from his family “it is time to devote my full time and attention to them.
“As I wrote in my letter to President Biden, it is time to go home,” he said. Dickson has been living in Washington D.C. while his family is in Georgia.
“Although my heart is heavy, I am tremendously proud of everything we have accomplished together over the past several years,” he said. “The agency is in a better place than it was two years ago, and we are positioned for great success. It has been the privilege of a lifetime to serve alongside you.”
Dickson, a former Delta Air Lines executive and pilot, was appointed by President Donald Trump, days after the the second of two fatal crashes of Boeing’s best-selling 737 Max jetliners. The two accidents killed 346 people and plunged the FAA, which certified the planes to fly, into crisis.
