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A Southwest Airlines “intentionally committed an act of lewd, indecent and obscene exposure of his genitals in a public place” while captaining a flight from Philadelphia to Orlando in August 2020, the Department of Justice alleges.
Michael Haak, who is no longer a pilot for Southwest, was criminally charged with exposing his genitals mid-flight, according to documents filed April 2 in Maryland federal court.
Notably, Haak was in charge of flying the plane in question, Southwest flight WN 6607 from Philadelphia to Orlando.
Haak is accused of a “lewd, indecent, or obscene” act on an aircraft “of which he was the pilot in command.” He’s being charged in federal court because events that occur mid-flight are under federal jurisdiction.
If convicted, Haak could face up to 90 days in prison and/or a fine of up to $500.
It’s unclear at what point during the flight Haak is accused of exposing his genitals. A non-stop flight between Philadelphia and Orlando on Southwest takes about 2.5 hours. Few details of the event are included in the one-page court filing.
A Southwest representative told ABC News that the company was unaware of the incident until it was contacted by investigators, at which time Haak no longer worked for the company.
The airline told Insider it is complying with federal investigators and, “takes all matters related to workplace conduct very seriously.”
Haak could not be reached for comment.
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Originally published at https://www.businessinsider.com/southwest-pilot-allegedly-exposed-genitals-mid-flight-court-documents-2021-4 on .
