A former pilot of a US airline has pleaded guilty to indecent acts while on a flight last year.
Prosecutors allege that Michael Haak undressed in the cockpit in front of the plane’s co-pilot and watched pornographic movies on a laptop.
Haak, 60, reportedly behaved more rudely in the cockpit as the Southwest Airlines flight continued.
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A Maryland judge has fined Haak USD 5,000 and ordered one-year probation.
The incident took place on a flight from Philadelphia to Orlando on August 20, 2020.
After the plane reached a safe altitude, Haak reportedly got up from his chair, deliberately undressed, and began watching pornographic images and movies on his laptop.
“Haak was behaving even more rudely while the co-pilot was doing his job,” the public prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
According to them, Haak had never met the ladies Co-pilot before the flight.
According to the Associated Press, Co-Attorney Michael Cunningham said the Co-pilot had the right not to be subjected to such treatment.
The lawsuit was filed because the plane was flying over Maryland at the time of the incident. Haak has admitted to lewd and indecent behavior in public places.
In a video, he apologized for his behavior and claimed that the incident took place between him and his co-worker and that he never thought of the consequences.
Judge Jay Mark Coulson said Haak had hurt the co-pilot and that it could endanger the safety of passengers.
Haak, from Florida, retired from the airline in August last year after 27 years as a pilot.
The airline declared in a statement that such conduct would not be tolerated. A spokesman said he had received information about the incident after Hawk retired.
After that, Haak was denied the facility to receive the service after retirement, the airline said.
