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Package compiled for FAA managers

FAA via National Archives / The Black Vault · 122 pages · text from the file's own layer

This package was compiled by the FAA Alaskan Region Public Affairs Office in Anchorage and sent to FAA managers with a memo from Paul Steucke dated March 5, 1987. It gathers material on the November 17, 1986 sighting by the crew of Japan Air Lines flight 1628: a news release, pilot and controller transcripts, crew interviews and radar analysis. The FAA concluded that it could not confirm the event. It attributed the second radar target to a split, uncorrelated return from the JAL Boeing 747 and planned no further investigation.

  • p. 2 …17, 86, sighting of unidentified air traffic PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER, AAL-5 ALL REGIONAL FACILITY MANAGERS…
  • p. 3 …Other "Unidentified Air Traffic" sightings, FAA file, Alaska. Prepared by FAA Public Affairs Office AAL-5…
  • p. 4 …17 UFO sighting was reported by JAL Captain Kenjyu Terauchi on a cargo f light over…
  • p. 15 …involving JAL-1628 and the alleged UFO sighting. Review of the data involving this incident did…
  • p. 16 …The FAA does not have the resources or the Congressional mandate to investigate sightings of unidentified…
  • p. 17 …hand witness testimony with regard to a sighting on November 17, 1986, by Captain Terauchi and…
  • p. 18 …was trying to figure out that first sighting last year or this year Five years ago…
  • p. 22 …Visually sighting, you saw it first uh? K. Terauchi First R. Gordon Okay F. Fujii And…
  • p. 33 …Gordon • other sightings, we have a lot of stuff where pilots have had other sightings. K…
  • p. 35 …Same thing, and make sure that I'm right here, that ah, ah airplane, first sighting…
  • p. 38 …experience. Personal statement concerning JAL Flight 1628 sighting of unidentified air traffic, Nov. 17, 1986. Written…
  • p. 39 …the Personal statement concerning JAL Flight 1628 sighting of unidentified air traffic, Nov. 17, 1986. Written…
  • p. 40 …hour. Personal statement concerning JAL Flight 1628 sighting of unidentified air traffic, Nov. 17, 1986. Written…
  • p. 41 …images. Personal statement concerning JAL Flight 1628 sighting of unidentified air traffic, Nov. 17, 1986. Written…
  • p. 42 …lights. Personal statement concerning JAL Flight 1628 sighting of unidentified air traffic, Nov. 17, 1986. Written…
  • p. 43 …spaceship Personal statement concerning JAL Flight 1628 sighting of unidentified air traffic, Nov. 17, 1986. Written…
  • p. 44 …were. Personal statement concerning JAL Flight 1628 sighting of unidentified air traffic, Nov. 17, 1986. Written…
  • p. 45 …radar. Personal statement concerning JAL Flight 1628 sighting of unidentified air traffic, Nov. 17, 1986. Written…
  • p. 46 …away. Personal statement concerning JAL Flight 1628 sighting of unidentified air traffic, Nov. 17, 1986. Written…
  • p. 47 …we will! continue 360 degree turn." Personal stat~ment concerning JAL Flight 1628 sighting of unidentified…
  • p. 48 …moon. Personal statement concerning JAL Flight 1628 sighting of unidentified air traffic, Nov. 17, 1986. Written…
  • p. 49 …moon. Personal statement concerning JAL Flight 1628 sighting of unidentified air traffic, Nov. 17, 1986. Written…
  • p. 50 …5) Personal statement concerning JAL Flight 1628 sighting of unidentified air traffic, Nov. 17, 1986. Written…
  • p. 51 …hand witness testimony with regard to a sighting on November 17, 1986, by First Officer Tamefuji…
  • p. 53 …found? What's found, humm? Er, first sighted? Ah, as you know, all the crew ah…
  • p. 63 …Beckner The first sighting was brighter? 13
  • p. 69 …Beckner At that time did you still have them in sight? T. Tamefuji Yes, but ah…
  • p. 74 …regarding to the UFO which had been sighted on the 17th of November, 1986, by Captain…
  • p. 75 …Who first sighted the object? Tsukuba: I do not know which person picked it up first…
  • p. 86 …EARTS, (radar data), r eference JL1628 alleged sightings. I could not find any target information i…
  • p. 94 …Myself and Jim Derry intenriewed the crew of JAL Flight 1628, which reported the sighting of…
  • p. 95 …me that this was oot the first sighting of an unidentified aircraft by Captain TERAIXlil. ~'- FM…
  • p. 100 …The FAA has no opinions or conclusions regarding the sighting. (2 ) On January 11, 1987, at…
  • p. 101 …The Air Force was unable to confirm the sighting. This sighting was not investigated by the…
  • p. 102 …Aviation Administration information regarding the unidentified traffic sighting by the flight crew of Japan Airlines flight…
  • p. 103 …FORM for JAL FLIGHT 1628 UNIDENTIFIED TRAFFIC SIGHTING NOVEMBER 18, 1g~6 UTC on November 17…
  • p. 104 LIST OF RECORDS AVAILABLE ORDER FORM for JAL FLIGHT 1628 UNIDENTIFIED TRAFFIC SIGHTING NOVEMBER 18, 1986…
  • p. 105 Page 2 JAL UNIDENT I FIED TR AFFIC SIGHTING Order List continued 0 $0 . 85 0…
  • p. 106 Page 3 JAL UNIDENTIFIED TRAFFIC SIGHTING Order List continued 0 $57. 2 5 12 . Simulated Radar…
  • p. 107 …pertaining to 11/17/86 unidentified object sighting by Japan Air Lines flight 1628. (5 pages…
-2-
The Captain requested tile Center to record his description: "Ah, would you
please, ah, record my vo ice, ah, ah, ah •.. this is Japanese. Futeikina raito ga
mieteriru. Choodo ookina kuroi ka tamari ga mae ni iru. Kyorinishite go nrairu.
Dooyara uchuusen no moyoo." English translation: "We see irregular pulsating
lights just there is a large black chunk just in front of us distance is five
miles it seems to be a spaceship. Ah, it likes, ah, UFO, please, ah, check on
your radar. Over."
The cargo aircraft was about 240 nautical miles north of Nenana, Alaska, at
37 ,000 feet elevation. The weather was clear with a temperature inversion
reported at 23,500 feet.
Captain Terauchi reported the lights appeared in front of the aircraft,
about 2,000 feet below, moved below the aircraft, and then disappeared behind
the aircraft. The phenomenon then occurred again at approximately 151 nautical
miles north of Nenana.
It was noted at the FAA interview of the flight crew, which was conducted
when they landed at Anchorage, that the aircraft flight path was north of and
directly over the town of Arctic Village, Alaska, at the time of the first
sighting and 45 nautical miles northwest and west of the village of Fort Yukon
during the second sighting.
Captain Terauchi said at the FAA interview that he thought the unusual
lights he saw were those village lights that had been obscured or changed by
ice crystals present in the atmosphere (the temperature inversion). The FAA has
concluded its inquiry into this report and agrees with the Captain that the
phenomena was most likely caused by ice crystals created by the reported
temperature inversion.
(3) The crew of a Flying Tigers Flight #73, Boeing 747, cargo aircraft,
flying at 37,000 feet, reported observing a "target" heading 320 degrees as it
approached Anchorage on November 21, 1985. The Air Force was unable to confirm
the sighting. This sighting was not investigated by the FAA and there is no
file or retrievable data.
Steucke said, "The FAA is not in the UFO business and is not interested in
reports that do not involve aircraft or the air traffic control system."
I

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Document, cited by the archive. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is under it. 122 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.