WASHINGTON ( CNN ) -- A day and a half after he was arrested on a drunk-driving charge , FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt co-piloted a government jet to North Carolina as part of a proficiency flight , Federal Aviation Administration officials confirmed Wednesday . The flight was planned before Babbitt 's Saturday-night arrest , officials said , and took place as scheduled Monday morning . Babbitt does not appear to have violated any FAA rules by taking the flight . Since he has not been convicted of DWI , he was under no formal obligation to report the arrest , and there is no suggestion that he violated a `` bottle to throttle '' rule requiring eight hours to pass between alcohol consumption and flying . But Babbitt earned the ire of his boss -- Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood -- by not notifying him of the arrest . LaHood learned of the arrest about 1 p.m. Monday after a Virginia police department published a press release announcing the arrest . Babbitt , meanwhile , was just returning from the proficiency flight . Within an hour , the DOT issued a press release saying that Babbitt had asked to be placed on leave , and the request had been accepted . On Tuesday , LaHood told reporters he was `` very disappointed '' in the way he had learned about the arrest . Babbitt resigned later Tuesday , saying he did not want anything to `` cast a shadow '' on the FAA . The resignation brought to an end a tumultuous four days that began about 10:30 p.m. Saturday when a Fairfax , Virginia , police officer said he noticed Babbitt driving on the wrong side of Old Lee Highway , police said . Babbitt was the sole occupant of the vehicle and cooperated fully with police , according to police . Police said after it was determined that Babbitt was under the influence of alcohol , he was taken to a jail where he was charged with driving while intoxicated and released on personal recognizance . FAA officials said Babbitt had no official duties over the weekend . Babbitt did not return a reporter 's phone call . On Monday , Babbitt went on a proficiency flight in an FAA aircraft , departing Reagan National Airport near Washington , flying to Hickory , North Carolina , and then on to Charlotte , where the plane landed for fuel before returning to Washington . The flight was intended as training for the FAA 's new satellite-based navigation system known as Next Gen , the FAA said . The FAA said administrators with pilot 's licenses are permitted to fly FAA aircraft . `` Randy Babbitt served as a licensed pilot and maintained qualifications to fly FAA airplanes on official business , '' the FAA said . `` This helps provide firsthand knowledge of the U.S. aviation system . '' In this case , another pilot served as pilot in command during the flight , the FAA said . Under federal regulations , FAA-licensed pilots must notify the FAA within 60 days of being convicted of a drunk driving charge , or when they apply for medical recertification . Neither applied to Babbitt , although officials said senior officials are held to a higher standard .
Babbitt was arrested on a drunk - driving charge Saturday night . On Monday he was co - pilot on a test flight from DC to North Carolina . The proficiency flight was scheduled before the arrest , officials said . He resigned as head of the FAA on Monday ; flight broke no rules .