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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.
“Sightings”40 pages
- 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…
ANALYSIS OF UNCORRELATED PRIMARY
AND BEACON TARGETS
(JAL-1628, 11 / 17 / 86 AKST)
Approximately 61 minutes of data was extracted from the EARTS CDR
printouts relating to the November 18 incident involving JAL-1628
and the alleged UFO sighting.
Review of the data involving this incident did not show any
abnormalities that could be associated with any type of target as
indicated by the pilot of JAL-1628.
Radar returns from the aircraft and surrounding terrain vary with
the different segments of the flight, but are considered normal
for the area.
Returns relating to the incident can be categorized as three
types: primary radar reinforced by a beacon reply (primary radar
returns and beacon returns are both evident in the same 1/4 mile
range cell), beacon only reply and beacon with an associated
radar reply. Seventy-two percent of the replies were radar with
beacon reinforcement (same range cell) which is normal for the
Murphy dome radar system.
Approximately 25 percent were beacon only and of those that
registered as beacon only, 90 percent of those had a primary only
reply within 1/8 of a mile, either ahead or behind the beacon
target (5 behind, 12 ahead).
Th ese uncorrelated primary returns are not uncommon, due
critical timing associated with the delay adjustments
aircraft transponder for beacon systems and the
correlation circuitry within the radar equipment.
to the
in the
target
Whe n an aircraft is being interrogated as it passes through the
beginning of adjacent range cells the intricate timing between
t h e t wo systems very often is off just enough to declare both a
beacon and a radar target in different range cells, resulting in
uncorrelated radar replies.
Th e data derived from the JAL-1628 flight is representative of
t h e data from another aircraft in the same general area and is
con s i dered normal.
February 25, 1987
-us .'"Dennis R. Simantel
ZAN-AAL-ARTCC
About this file
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.