Reporting of Incidents Involving Animals During Air Transport in 2026
Incident reports on the death, loss, or injury of an animal during air transport that occur on or after January 1, 2026, are to be reported to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) through a new reporting module in the Aviation Complaint, Enforcement, and Reporting System (ACERS).
Top Questions
- Which carriers are required to report to DOT?
- What information must be reported to DOT and when are the reports due?
- How should covered carrier submit reports of incident that occur in 2025?
- How should covered carrier submit the annual report for calendar year 2025?
- How should covered carrier submit reports for incidents that occur in 2026?
Which carriers are required to report?
DOT regulations require U.S. air carriers that operate scheduled passenger service with at least one aircraft in their fleet with a designed seating capacity of more than 60 passenger seats to file reports with DOT on the number of incidents involving the loss, injury, or death of an animal during air transport.
What information must be reported to DOT and when are the reports due?
Covered U.S. carriers must submit a report on any incident involving the loss, injury, or death of an animal during air transport within 15 days after the end of the month to which the information applies. The report must contain the following information:
- Carrier and flight number;
- Date and time of the incident;
- Description of the animal, including name, if known;
- Name and contact information of the owner(s), guardian, and/or shipper of the animal;
- Narrative description of the incident;
- Narrative description of the cause of the incident;
- Narrative description of any corrective action taken in response to the incident; and
- Name, title, address, and telephone number of the individual filing the report on behalf of the air carrier.
In addition, covered U.S. carriers must submit an annual report of the total number of incidents involving animals (even if zero) and the total number of animals transported by the carrier. The annual report is due within 15 days after the end of the year to which the information applies.
How should covered carrier submit reports of incident that occur in 2025?
Covered U.S. carriers should continue to submit reports of animal incidents that occur on or before December 31, 2025, via email to kim.reagan@dot.gov and mindaugas.lescinskas@dot.gov. The email must contain the required information listed above.
How should covered carrier submit the required annual report for calendar year 2025?
Covered U.S. carriers should submit the annual report on the total number of incidents involving an animal during air transport for calendar year 2025 via email to kim.reagan@dot.gov and mindaugas.lescinskas@dot.gov.
The annual data must be provided in a similar table as displayed below:
|
Carrier Name |
Death |
Injury |
Loss |
Total number of animals transported in 2025 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
In addition, the reports must include the following certification statement: “I, the undersigned, do certify that this report has been prepared under my direction in accordance with the regulations in 14 CFR part 235. I affirm that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, this is a true, correct and complete report.”
The report on the total number of animals transported and total number of incidents involving an animal in calendar year 2025 is due on January 15, 2026.
How should covered carrier submit reports for incidents that occur in 2026?
Detailed instructions on how to access and submit reports of animal incidents can be found in this Industry User Guide.
If you need assistance with ACERS, please email us at oacp@dot.gov.