Pilots are people too
And sometimes people are dumb. Very, very, very dumb.
Case in point: Last month a pilot was fired for letting a passenger fly the plane.
That was incredibly dumb.
However, here is what may have affected the pilot's judgement:
I think it is safe to say the pilot was not thinking with his head.
But what followed is what makes him a complete idiot. He allowed someone to photograph the incident and post it on social media for all to see.
I am guessing the company frowns upon this type of behavior.