DALLAS, TEXAS — On some flights operated by American Airlines, passengers have reported hearing eerie groans and phantom breathing over the intercom systems. Emerson Collins, a film producer, recorded the bizarre commotion while flying from Los Angeles to Dallas on September 6. The video captured by Collins immediately went viral on Twitter and TikTok with millions of views.


Collins told Washington Post that the humanlike moans started before takeoff and remained throughout the flight.

The footage shows a flight attendant saying to Collins, "I swear it's a prank."

A flight attendant can be heard over the intercom apologizing for the unpleasant sound and claims the flight crew is working to solve the problem. But the funny part, the sounds returned like a guttural hoot and a sigh as soon as she finished the announcement.

Collins said he walked through the aisle to discover the source of the strange intercom incident and see if a playful passenger produced it.

He also said the flight crew assured passengers there was no safety concern.

The riddle became more complicated after Collins published the video on Twitter and Tik Tok last week because passengers on other American flights recently reported hearing the same assortment of noises.

"It wasn't the whole flight, but periodically weird phrases and sounds. Then a huge 'oh yeah' when we landed. We thought the pilot left his mic open," 

journalist Doug Boehner tweeted about his recent Orlando to Dallas flight.


Tech executive Brad Allen wrote that he and his wife experienced the noises on an American flight in July.

"To be clear, it sounded like the moans and groans of someone in extreme pain," 

Allen wrote. 

Another passenger reported hearing the noises on a flight from New York to Los Angeles on August 5, while an aviation expert submitted a report on a flight from Santa Ana to Dallas on September 18.

The incident attracted conspiracy theories on the internet, with suggestions ranging from the more sinister possibility of a hack into in-flight systems to practical jokes like a passenger taking the crew microphone into the restroom.

"Intercom systems on the airline's planes are hardwired without any external access or WiFi component," 

an American Airlines spokesperson said in a statement.

"Following the initial report, our maintenance team thoroughly inspected the aircraft and the PA system and determined the sounds were caused by a mechanical issue with the PA amplifier, which raises the volume of the PA system when the engines are running. Our team is reviewing the additional reports," 

the statement continued.

The statement also noted that the airline received the first report on September 18 for Santa Ana-Dallas flight.