Lenzner thanked Southwest and the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General for their assistance with the investigation.Ĭopyright © 2021, ABC Audio.
Haak was sentenced to one year probation and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine.Ī Southwest spokesperson said that Haak left the airline before the company was made aware of the incident.Īcting United States Attorney Jonathan F. His last flight for the Dallas-based airline was on Aug.
Nonetheless, Southwest did investigate the matter. Haak, a resident of Longwood, Florida, was a Southwest Airlines pilot for 27 years until his retirement. Southwest only learned of Haak’s behavior after he voluntarily left the airline, according to Mainz. On Friday, Michael Haak, 60, pleaded guilty to federal charges in front of U.S. Mark Coulson sentenced him to one year of unsupervised probation and a US5,000 fine. Southwest pilot pleads guilty after exposing himself to female first officer. "As the plane continued its flight, Haak further engaged in inappropriate conduct in the cockpit as the First Officer continued to perform her duties as an assigned aircrew member," federal prosecutors in Maryland said.Īccording to Haak's plea agreement, he had never met the female officer prior to the flight. Michael Haak, 60, apologized and expressed remorse for his actions before U.S. Visit the Business section of Insider for more stories. Federal prosecutors charged Haak with indecent exposure on April 2. Michael Haak was the pilot in command of the plane during a flight from Philadelphia to Orlando, Florida, according to a one-page filing in federal district court. The act is said to have occured in August 2020 on a flight from Philadelphia to Orlando. DALLAS (AP) Federal authorities have charged a former Southwest Airlines pilot with indecent exposure for an incident they say occurred during a flight last August. He then proceeded to view pornographic material in the cockpit on a laptop. Former Southwest Airlines pilot Michael Haak was charged with exposing his genitals mid-flight. 10, 2020, flight from Philadelphia to Orlando reached cruising altitude, Michael Haak, 60, of Longwood, Florida, admitted to removing his clothes in the cockpit of the plane - exposing himself to the female first officer.
This is a representational image.(NEW YORK) - A former Southwest Airlines pilot pleaded guilty on Friday to a federal charge of committing "a lewd, indecent, or obscene act" mid-flight while he was the pilot in command.Īfter the Aug. Haak any benefits he was entitled to receive as a result of his separation from (the airline),” Mainz stated.Ī Missouri man, who reportedly pulled his pants down and shouted "rape" at an airport after being apprehended by authorities for assaulting a sleeping nurse on a plane in 2021, has been sentenced to 21 months in federal prison. Michael Haak, 60, exposed himself to the female first officer in the cockpit and watched pornography on a laptop, prosecutors said. “Nonetheless, Southwest did investigate the matter and as a result, ceased paying Mr. A Southwest pilot was recently charged with a federal crime for exposing himself in public while flying a plane from Philadelphia to Orlando, according to court documents. However, Southwest spokesperson Chris Mainz said that the airline will not tolerate such behavior and take the appropriate action on the incident. “The embarrassment and resulting publicity of this incident has in and of itself been humbling to Michael Haak and has served as punishment in many ways,” attorney Mike Salnick stated. Michael Haak was the pilot in command on Southwest Airlines WN6607, flying from Philadelphia to Orlando, Florida, when he allegedly intentionally committed an act of lewd, indecent and obscene. However, his legal representative batted that Haak deserved a more lenient service for his lifetime of hard work and kindness. DALLAS Federal authorities have charged a former Southwest Airways pilot with indecent publicity for an incident they are saying occurred throughout a flight final August. The 60-year-old accepted the responsibility for the incident and offered no excuses. Haak would end up retiring as a result of the incident and was charged with intentionally committing a lewd, indecent or obscene act in a public place in April. “This is not the kind of aberrant behavior that anyone should accept,” Cunningham stated. Upon hearing of this, the assistant US Attorney Michael Cunningham blasted the pilot and stressed that he had a duty to comfort himself in a much more responsible manner.