Code Section 22-1112),” the one-page document says. “On or about August 10, 2020, on an aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States, namely Southwest Airlines Flight WN 6607, of which he was the pilot in command, the defendant, MICHAEL HAAK, intentionally committed an act of lewd, indecent and obscene exposure of his genitals in a public place, which if committed in the District of Columbia would violate D.C.
District Court for the District of Maryland. 2020 has been charged with a misdemeanor for allegedly committing a lewd act during the flight from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Orlando, Florida. Court records reviewed by Law&Crime show that a criminal information was filed against Michael Haak on Friday in the U.S. “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,” he wrote.A pilot who was commanding a Southwest Airlines plane in Aug. Salnick argued that Haak deserves a lenient sentence given his “lifetime of hard work and kindness.” Haak accepts responsibility for his conduct and "offers no excuses,” his lawyer said in a court filing. “We are blessed that Southwest has been your home for so many years," Kelly wrote. Haak any benefits he was entitled to receive as a result of his separation from (the airline),” Mainz said.ĭefense attorney Michael Salnick said Haak had a sterling career as a commercial pilot and received numerous accolades and supportive letters from passengers and colleagues, including one from Southwest chairman and CEO Gary Kelly on the day of Haak's retirement. “Nonetheless, Southwest did investigate the matter and as a result, ceased paying Mr. Southwest spokesperson Chris Mainz said in a statement that the airline “does not tolerate behavior of this nature and will take prompt action if such conduct is substantiated.” Southwest only learned of Haak's behavior after he voluntarily left the airline, according to Mainz. 31, 2020, three weeks after the incident that led to the criminal charge. His last flight for the Dallas-based airline was on Aug. Haak, a resident of Longwood, Florida, was a Southwest Airlines pilot for 27 years until his retirement. The judge wasn't bound by that recommendation. He was charged in Maryland because it was one of the states that the aircraft passed over that day.įederal prosecutors agreed to recommend a sentence of probation without requiring Haak to register as a sex offender. Haak was charged in April with intentionally committing a lewd, indecent or obscene act in a public place, a misdemeanor punishable by a maximum of 90 days in jail. “She had a right not to be subjected to this kind of behavior, regardless of what may have motivated it or prompted it,” the prosecutor said. “This is not the kind of aberrant behavior that anyone should accept,” the prosecutor added.Ĭunningham said the first officer “unfortunately suffered some consequences” as a result of the incident that Haak “didn’t have anything to do with,” but he didn’t elaborate. Haak “had a duty to comport himself in a much more responsible manner,” Assistant U.S. The judge told Haak that his actions had a traumatic effect on the co-pilot and could have impacted the safety of passengers and other co-workers. The first officer submitted a statement to the court but didn’t speak during Friday's hearing. “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,” the statement says. After the plane reached its cruising altitude, Haak got out of the pilot’s seat, “disrobed” and began watching pornographic material on a laptop computer in the cockpit, prosecutors said. I never imagined it would turn into this in a thousand years,” Haak said during a remote hearing.įederal prosecutors said in a news release that Haak had never met the first officer before that flight bound for Orlando on Aug. “It started as a consensual prank between me and the other pilot. Mark Coulson sentenced him to one year of unsupervised probation and a $5,000 fine. Michael Haak, 60, apologized and expressed remorse for his actions before U.S. (AP) - A retired Southwest Airlines pilot was sentenced to probation Friday after pleading guilty to exposing his genitals to a female first officer and watching pornography on a laptop during a flight from Philadelphia to Florida last year.
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