U.S. Aviation Chief Babbitt Resigns After Weekend DUI Arrest

Federal Aviation Administrator Randy Babbitt resigned one day after a Dec. 3 arrest for driving while intoxicated forced him to go on administrative leave.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood accepted the resignation, Babbitt said in an e-mailed statement today.

Babbitt was arrested after a police officer in Fairfax, Virginia, spotted him driving on the wrong side of the road, police said in a press release yesterday.

The former FAA administrator improved aviation safety, LaHood said.

“We have the safest aviation system in the world, and thanks to Randy’s stewardship, it became safer and stronger,” LaHood said in an e-mailed statement. “On behalf of the American people, I thank him for his service and his leadership.”

Police in Fairfax, near Washington, have a policy to publicly release information after the arrest of any local, state or federal official.

LaHood learned of Babbitt’s arrest from the city’s press release, he said after testifying before Congress today.

Babbitt said that serving as head of the FAA was the “highlight” of his 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,” he said.