WASHINGTON, Jan 30 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald

Trump on Thursday said that he had appointed a former senior

aviation official as the acting head of the Federal Aviation

Administration administrator.

The announcement comes after an American Airlines ( AAL )

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 chief operating

officer of the National Business Aviation Association. Sources

said Liam McKenna, who was the counsel to the Senate Commerce

Committee, has been named chief counsel at the FAA.

Sources told Reuters that Rocheleau has been at the FAA

since last week.

Mike Whitaker, who was unanimously confirmed as the FAA

administrator in October 2023,

stepped down on Jan. 20

when Trump took office. Trump has not named a nominee to

replace Whitaker and the FAA for 10 days has declined to say who

was running the agency on an acting basis.