Federal authorities are charging a former Southwest Airlines pilot with allegedly committing a “lewd” indecent act while operating a commercial flight in August 2020, a federal court filing shows.
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 exposure of his genitals in a public place.” The filing goes on to allege “the acts began, continued and were completed while the aircraft was in flight.”
The one page document, filed last Friday in the federal district court in Maryland, does not indicate where the lewd act occurred on the flight. Brandy King of Southwest tells NBC News that the allegation was “made by another Southwest Pilot” and the event was “not witnessed by passengers.”
NBC’s attempts to reach Haak were unsuccessful, and the federal complaint does not list any legal representation. When asked if Haak was still a pilot with another airline, the Federal Aviation Administration declined to comment, citing the open criminal case.
In a written statement, Southwest said: “The pilot in question is no longer employed by Southwest Airlines and departed the company last year prior to us becoming aware of the matter. The event was recently brought to our attention and we've cooperated with the appropriate outside agencies as they investigate."
The statement also says that “Southwest Airlines takes all matters related to workplace conduct very seriously” with a corporate culture “built upon treating others with mutual respect and dignity, and the events alleged in this situation are inconsistent with the behavior that we require of our employees.”
Marcia Murphy, with the United States Attorneys Office, says that the FBI is investigating the case, and that the hearing and arraignment date for Michael Haak has not been scheduled.