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. “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.Īfter a woman's wheelchair was damaged on a flight, video goes viral Take a look: Disneyland Avengers Campus is made for Marvel lovers The countries open to fully vaccinated Americans Vaccine passports: How to prove you've gotten your COVID-19 shots for travel, avoid scamsįederal prosecutors agreed to recommend a sentence of probation without requiring Haak to register as a sex offender. 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. – A retired Southwest Airlines pilot was sentenced to probation Friday after pleading guilty to exposing himself to a female first officer and watching pornography on a laptop during a flight from Philadelphia to Florida last year. Haak any benefits he was entitled to receive as a result of his separation from (the airline),” Mainz said in a statement.COLLEGE PARK, Md. “Nonetheless, Southwest did investigate the matter and as a result, ceased paying Mr. Southwest spokesperson Chris Mainz said that the airline “does not tolerate behavior of this nature and will take prompt action if such conduct is substantiated.” “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. His attorney Michael Salnick had said in a court filing that Haak accepts responsibility for his behavior and “offers no excuses.”īut he argued that his client deserves a lenient sentence given his “lifetime of hard work and kindness.” Haak, who retired shortly after the incident, was charged in April with intentionally committing a lewd, indecent or obscene act in a public place. Michael Haak disrobed and watched porn on a laptop in the cockpit while the jet was in the air. “This is not the kind of aberrant behavior that anyone should accept,” the prosecutor added. Attorney Michael Cunningham blasted the pilot, saying that he “had a duty to comport himself in a much more responsible manner.” “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 said in a statement.Īssistant U.S. When the plane reached cruising altitude, Haak got out of the pilot’s seat and “disrobed” and began watching pornographic material on a laptop computer in the cockpit, prosecutors said. The incident occurred on a flight that he was piloting from Philadelphia to Orlando on Aug. I never imagined it would turn into this in a thousand years,” Haak said during the virtual hearing. Mark Coulson ordered him on Friday to serve probation and pay a $5,000 fine. Michael Haak, 60, apologized before US Magistrate Judge J. Southwest flight fills with smoke, forced to make emergency landingįrom shutdowns to near-misses, the FAA is ready for a refreshĪ Southwest Airlines pilot who watched porn and exposed his genitals to a female officer on a flight to Florida has been sentenced to one year of probation. Passenger passes out on Southwest flight as plane shakes ‘like crazy’ Wild video captures brawl on Southwest flight after passenger bumps into mom
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