Pilots face investigation over text messages quoting Miley Cyrus lyrics

Four US military pilots are under investigation after allegedly exchanging text messages containing Miley Cyrus lyrics.

The US Air Force Chief of Staff, General Mark Welsh, called an investigation after the incident involving pilots at Laughlin Air Force Base in Texas.

It is claimed the group exchanged messages quoting lines from the song We Can’t Stop including: “We like to party/Dancing with Molly/Doing whatever we want."

The investigation is expected to centre on claims the messages refer to the street name for ecstasy, Molly.

The pilots themselves have claimed the reference to Molly is a joke the group shared after a visit to Las Vegas during which they met a group of girls they believed to be on drugs, according to US website the Daily Beast.

Fox News reported that all four of the pilots passed drug tests. Evidence of the text messages was recovered when a mobile phone was seized during a separate investigation.

The Air Force said in a statement to Sky News: “Commanders are expected to hold members accountable for their actions, while ensuring due process and equitable treatment are appropriately applied in every case.

"Commanders take this responsibility very seriously. An allegation of misconduct is reviewed at multiple levels, and the Laughlin cases are no exception."