ST. GEORGE- SkyWest Airlines (OO) has filed a federal lawsuit alleging that two former pilots hacked its internal computer systems to steal confidential employee data.
The carrier operates regional flights for American Airlines (AA), Delta Air Lines (DL), United Airlines (UA), and Alaska Airlines (AS).
The case, filed in the US District Court for the District of Utah under case number 4:26-cv-00015, alleges unauthorized access to the airline’s SWOL corporate directory system and the extraction of personal details belonging to nearly 5,000 pilots.
Alleged Hacking of SkyWest’s Internal SWOL Directory
SkyWest alleges that former pilots Daniel Moussaron and Vikaas Krithivas engaged in computer fraud, breach of contract, and civil conspiracy by bypassing role-based protections within the airline’s internal directory, known as SWOL.
According to the 26-page complaint, the alleged activity began on August 29, 2025, when data logs show Moussaron accessed the corporate directory during an overnight layover.
According to PYOK, the Investigators believe this session served as an initial test, as certain pilot records were accessed multiple times.
Under normal permissions, pilots can search the directory but only view business-related fields such as name, base location, and supervisor.
Managers, however, can access additional confidential data, including home addresses and personal cellphone numbers.
SkyWest alleges that Moussaron used web developer tools or specialized software to circumvent these role-based access controls and reveal hidden data fields.
The complaint states that over the next three months, Moussaron returned to SWOL at least eight more times, progressively scraping data from the pilot seniority list.
He allegedly resumed each session where he had previously stopped. Early data pulls progressed slowly, which the airline claims is consistent with manual input and retrieval.
Beginning in September 2025, Krithivas allegedly joined the activity. IT logs reportedly show that Krithivas accessed data first, followed by Moussaron continuing from the same position on the seniority list.
Days later, the pair allegedly deployed automated software tools that enabled them to download personal details for 4,970 pilots in little more than seven hours.
The extracted data allegedly included names, employee numbers, home addresses, and personal phone numbers. After the large-scale download, Moussaron is also accused of conducting additional access sessions to obtain contact details for newly hired pilots.
Unsolicited Messages and Internal Investigation
Shortly after the final alleged download session on December 8, 2025, SkyWest pilots began reporting unsolicited messages and phone calls to their personal cellphones.
One pilot reported receiving a call in which the caller claimed they had “some really smart people” who had “found a backdoor to the company directory.”
SkyWest initiated an internal investigation and engaged IT specialists to review system logs. The airline claims forensic analysis confirmed repeated unauthorized access and the use of tools designed to bypass directory protections.
The lawsuit alleges that the defendants’ actions caused loss of control over confidential information, harm to employee privacy and trust, security risks related to unauthorized circulation of pilot contact and location information, disruption to business operations, and diversion of substantial resources to investigate and remediate the incident.
SkyWest argues that, absent immediate injunctive relief, it will continue to suffer ongoing and irreparable harm.
In addition to monetary damages, the airline is requesting a court order requiring the defendants to surrender their cellphones and laptops for forensic examination.
Union Organizing Defense and Jurisdictional Challenge
In response, Moussaron has acknowledged accessing the SkyWest corporate directory to obtain pilot contact details. He stated in a court filing that his actions were related to efforts to organize a pilots’ union affiliated with the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA).
Moussaron admitted sending one mass SMS message to pilots to gauge interest in union formation, but denied sending additional communications. He was questioned by SkyWest management and subsequently terminated from his employment.
Moussaron also argues that the federal district court lacks authority to hear the case because his conduct falls within the scope of a labor dispute connected to union organizing activities.
SkyWest Chief Executive Chip Childs informed the airline’s pilot workforce by email that the actions of two former aircrew members serve as an appalling reminder of the lengths certain organizations and interests will go to gain access to employees.
He stated that confidential information was unlawfully taken in hopes of reaching and influencing pilots.
The airline maintains that the conduct was unethical and unlawful and that federal civil remedies are appropriate.
The court will determine whether the matter proceeds as a federal civil case or is treated as a labor dispute under applicable labor law frameworks.
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