US pilots under probe for meowing and barking over air traffic control radio
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
The Air Traffic Control tower at Ronald Reagan International Airport in Arlington, Virginia, on March 15.
PHOTO: REUTERS
DeeperDive is a beta AI feature. Refer to full articles for the facts.
Two pilots in the US are being investigated after they were heard meowing and barking over an air traffic control frequency on April 12.
US media outlets reported on April 16 that the pilots were heard mimicking animal sounds over the radio near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
The audio recording of the exchange, obtained from third-party source ATC.com, has quickly made its rounds on social media.
In it, one pilot is heard saying: “Meow... Meow”.
Another person, who appears to be from air traffic control, then responds: “You guys need to be professional pilots.”
The meowing sounds from the pilot continue, before another is heard barking.
They are then met with a response saying: “This is why you still fly an RJ.”
RJ is short for regional jet, which refers to the regional airlines that many pilots begin flying with early on in their careers, reported ABC news.
After they were told off, the pilots continued to communicate in meows.
“It was funny the first five minutes,” the other person replied.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it will investigate the audio recording once it has been verified, according to ABC News.
The FAA told NBC News that its regulations prohibit pilots in engaging in non-essential conversations when they are below 10,000 feet altitude.
It added: “Conversations must be related to the safe operation of the aircraft. The FAA investigates all situations where pilots may have violated any regulation.”
The outlet said the pilots were allegedly horsing around on the 121.5 frequency.
Very high frequency 121.5 and ultra-high frequency 243.0 are “guarded” frequencies reserved for emergency communications and notifications, according to the FAA.
Pilot Dennis Tajer told ABC News he has heard meowing on the “guard” frequency before.
“It’s not entertainment, it’s a serious frequency and it has a serious purpose,” said Mr Tajer, who is also spokesman for the Allied Pilots Association, a union representing American Airlines pilots.
“Anything that contaminates that with idle humour or any kind of schtick is not received well and it should stop.”
In 2025, 67 people were killed when a US military helicopter and a passenger jet crashed mid-air near the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Preliminary investigations then indicated that faulty instruments and communication problems were possible factors contributing to the collision, AFP reported.
The inquiry found the warning to the helicopter about the jet from the air traffic controller was muffled, and the jet did not receive crucial instructions to change its course shortly before the crash.
