Dallas-based Southwest Airlines sued over incident with ‘naked, deranged’ captain
A female former Southwest Airlines pilot is suing the Dallas-based airline for damages in a Florida civil court after a 2020 incident in which the captain sexually assaulted her midflight, according to the lawsuit.
The former pilot, Christine Janning, alleges in the suit that the airline retaliated against her by essentially declaring her psychologically unfit to fly, according to court documents.
The male captain, 60-year-old Micheal Haak, was sentenced to a year of probation after pleading guilty to committing a lewd, indecent or obscene act on the 2020 flight.
Once the flight, traveling from Philadelphia to Orlando, reached cruising altitude, Haak bolt-locked the cockpit door and began to view pornography, remove his clothing and masturbate, according to the lawsuit.
Janning feared that Haak would assault her, and that resisting him in the enclosed space near the flight controls would endanger the lives of everyone onboard, according to the lawsuit.
Haak made several comments prior to the incident about the flight being his last, lawyers for Janning wrote in the lawsuit.
As such, Janning feared that exiting the cockpit would “leave the clearly deranged Cpt. Haak in the cockpit (then caught naked there) in position to again bolt-lock the door and drive the aircraft into the ground,” the lawsuit reads.
Haak allegedly took several photos and videos in the cockpit and stated that he intended to “go out with a bang,” according to the lawsuit.
“This comment would carry ominous implications under any circumstance, but was especially worrisome while a deranged captain was bolt-locked into a cockpit in front of the controls to a commercial Boeing 737 aircraft with more than 100 passengers on board,” Janning’s lawyers wrote.
What Janning truly wants out of the proceedings, though, is the restoration of her reputation, her lawyers told the Star-Telegram.
“She’s a really talented pilot, that never should’ve happened to her, and she shouldn’t have been punished in any way,” attorney Carolin Guentert said.
“Southwest Airlines takes workplace conduct matters very seriously. We have clear policies and processes in place to address harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and retaliation claims,” a Southwest spokesperson said. “We maintain that the allegations within the lawsuit are without merit, and we will continue to vigorously defend against them.”
Lawyers for Haak could not immediately be reached for comment.
