The phrase comes from the Ground Proximity Warning System fitted to commercial aircraft since the 1970s, designed to alert pilots when they are flying too low or closing on high ground. Recordings and recreations from flight simulators, cockpit videos and films made the exact wording familiar far beyond aviation. Online, creators lifted the short loop as a universal danger signal, pairing the serious cockpit alert with games, crashes and everyday mistakes for comic contrast, which is why it remains a staple warning sound.