‘Meow, Meow’: Pilots Scolded After Animal Noises Heard on ATC Frequency at Washington Airport; FAA Launches Probe

Pilots of an aircraft made "meow ... meow!" over an air traffic control frequency at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on April 12. The audio was recorded and was found on ATC.com. 

The pilots were quickly scolded by an ATC staffer on the other side on ATC, saying, "You guys need to be professional pilots." During the scolding they made more meows and barks noises as a reply to ATS official.

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"This is why you still fly an RJ," the other person told the pilots. "RJ" means regional jet. Many early-career pilots get their start flying for regional airlines.

🚨#BREAKING: The FAA has announced that they will investigate an incident after two pilots were heard meowing and woofing on an emergency aviation frequency. pic.twitter.com/OkOdptf2lN

— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) April 16, 2026

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) launched probe into incident and said regulations prohibit pilots from engaging in non-essential communication when they are below 10,000 feet altitude" and that the agency investigates all situations where pilots may have violated the rules. 

The FAA said the audio of the meowing comes from a third party source but said that agency will investigate once they have verified.