Washington ( CNN ) -- Federal Aviation Administrator Randy Babbitt resigned Tuesday , three days after he was arrested on a drunk driving charge near his suburban Washington home . In a brief statement released to the media , Babbitt said he had submitted his resignation to his boss , Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood , and that LaHood had accepted it . Babbitt , 65 , a former airline pilot and president of a major pilots ' union , said serving as FAA administrator had been `` the highlight of my professional career , '' adding , `` 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 . '' His statement made no mention of his arrest , although it was clearly the event that precipitated his action . Earlier in the day , Secretary LaHood told reporters he was `` very disappointed '' that he had learned about Babbitt 's Saturday night arrest only after the Fairfax City , Virginia , police department issued a news release about the incident . In a statement released just minutes after Babbitt announced his resignation , LaHood called Babbitt a `` dedicated public servant and outstanding leader . '' `` I 'm proud to say that we have the safest aviation system in the world , and thanks to Randy 's stewardship , it became safer and stronger , '' LaHood said . `` He worked tirelessly to improve relations with the labor community and bolstered employee engagement among his 49,000 colleagues at the FAA . '' Fairfax City police arrested Babbitt late Saturday night after they allegedly saw Babbitt driving on the wrong side of the road . The police put out a news release on Monday morning detailing the incident . Babbitt was alone in the car , and was cooperative , police said . He was released on personal recognizance , meaning no bail was required . The police department said Babbitt failed a sobriety test , but they did not release the results of any blood-alcohol test . On Monday , DOT officials appeared to be caught off-guard when the police department , in accordance with its policies , issued a news release saying Babbitt had been arrested . DOT officials Monday afternoon issued a statement saying that Babbitt had asked for a leave of absence , and it had been granted . A court date for Babbitt has been set for February 2 in Virginia . Deputy Administrator Michael Huerta is serving as acting administrator .
NEW : Transportation head Babbitt resigns after a weekend charge of drunk driving . NEW : Babbitt Secretary Randy Babbitt accepts Babbitt 's resignation . Police allegedly saw Ray LaHood driving on the wrong side of the road .