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. “This is not the kind of aberrant behavior that anyone should accept,” the prosecutor added. 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. It said that, as a result, it had ceased paying him any benefits he was entitled to following his retirement.COLLEGE PARK, Md. A spokesman said the company had only learned of the incident after Haak had voluntarily left the airline. In a statement, the airline said it did not tolerate "behaviour of this nature and will take prompt action if such conduct is substantiated". Haak, of Longwood, Florida, was a pilot with Southwest Airlines for 27 years before retiring at the end of August last year. US Magistrate Judge J Mark Coulson told Haak that his behaviour had had a traumatic effect on the first officer and could have affected the safety of passengers. I never imagined it would turn into this in a thousand years." In a statement via video link, Haak apologised for his behaviour, adding: "It started as a consensual prank between me and the other pilot.
He pleaded guilty to intentionally committing a lewd, indecent or obscene act in a public place. Haak was charged in Maryland because it was the state that the plane was flying over at the time. Haak had never met the first officer prior to the flight, they added.Īssistant US Attorney Michael Cunningham said the co-pilot "had a right not to be subjected to this kind of behaviour, regardless of what may have motivated it or prompted it", the Associated Press reported. "Haak further engaged in inappropriate conduct in the cockpit, as the first officer continued to perform her duties," federal prosecutors said in a statement. When the flight reached cruising altitude, Haak got out of the pilot's seat, "intentionally disrobed" and watched pornographic media on a laptop. The incident happened during a flight from Philadelphia International Airport to Orlando International Airport on 10 August 2020, the court heard. Michael Haak, 60, exposed himself to the female first officer in the cockpit and watched pornography on a laptop, prosecutors said.Īs the Southwest Airlines flight continued, Haak engaged in further "inappropriate conduct" in the cockpit.Ī judge in Maryland sentenced him to one year's probation and ordered him to pay a $5,000 (£3,500) fine.
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