Airline pilot receives $300k for wrongful arrest after being seen naked near airport

'That’s how we protect our rights — by holding people accountable'

An airline pilot who was arrested after being spotted naked in his hotel room overlooking Denver International Airport has been awarded a $300,000 wrongful arrest settlement from the Colorado city.

The man, United Airlines pilot Andrew Collins, was arrested in September 2018, after employees saw him apparently touching himself through the 10th floor window of his hotel room.

But Mr Collins’ attorney, Craig Silverman, apparently successfully argued that it is not against the law to be naked inside a Denver hotel room. A report from Fox31 Denver indicates that the pilot was also unaware that he could be seen from the outside.

The charges against Mr Collins were dismissed by a judge in March.

But the arrest, even though it was dismissed, had complicated Mr Collins’ routine. He had been suspended for six months from his job, but has now returned to the skies.

Andrew Collins after being arrested in 2018 (Denver District Attorney's Office) (Denver District Attorney's Office)

“I have to explain this situation every day without fail,” he told local media.

But, he sees his legal win as a positive: “That’s how we protect our rights — by holding people accountable.”