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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. 5 …of the strobe and beacon lights? The color is ah, - white and yellow, I think. Ya…
  • p. 19 …light was amber and whitish, but, when it came to here it was only amber • white…
  • p. 21 …But, this color is white uh ••. it ' s ah um dark white pole ••• weak light ••• (unintelligible…
  • p. 28 …Terauchi Ah, it was not regular, but - not regularly, but white - silverish lights, not in equal…
  • p. 44 …Then again, there was a pale white flat light on the direction where the ships flew…
  • p. 45 …While we were communicating with the Anchorage Center, the two pale white lights gradually moved to…
  • p. 47 …above the bright city lights and we checked the i pale white lieht behind us. Alas…
  • p. 56 …Tamefuji ••• and ah, I remember, red or orange, hum, and a white landing light, just like…
  • p. 74 …I can not describe the details but it was white or amber colored lights. Beckner: When…
  • p. 83 …He stated it was a big plane with yellow and white lights. We advised him we…
  • p. 85 …one (1) mile with a white and yellow strobe light. I notified the Alaska Regional Operations…
  • p. 116 …red, green, and blue light are combined to fonn white light. This is the approach conm1only…
  • p. 117 …Monitor Settings, Light Boxes, and Viewing Booths We assume the assessment of many digital images will…
  • p. 120 …electronic imaging device to light stimuli Sensitivitv Tone aod ExRQsure White BalanceNeutralitx'. Color EocodiogLReoderiog (ISO…
  • p. 122 …The cfirferentlal ~ ~ ~ Streaking ~ Shading area unlformity/shad:ng spread or light between COior Delinffion : The root…
"'Page 11 ..
Again, we beaan communicating with the Anchorage Center. We eaid
that we could see a light in the 10 o'clock position at the same
altitude and wondered if they could see anything in their radar.
The Anchoraae Center replied that they see nothing in their
radar. I thought it would be impossible to find anything on an
aircraft radar if a large ground radar did not show anything but
I judged the distance of the object visually and it was not very
far. I set the diaital weather radar distance in 20 miles, radar
anale to horizon. There it was, on the screen,
and a round object had appeared in seven or
a larae, sreen, \
!
eiaht miles ( 13 ~
i
kilometers to 15 kilometers) away, where the direction of the
object was. We reported to the Anchorage Center that our aircraft
radar caught the object within seven or eight miles in 10 o'clock ·
position. We asked if they could catch it on the around radar
but did not seem they could at all. Normally it appears in red
when an aircraft radar catches another aircraft. I wonder if the
metal used in the spaceship is different from ours. While we
were communicating with the Anchorage Center, the two pale white
lights gradually moved to the left side and to left diaaonally
back 30 dearees as if they understood our conversation and then
when they were beside our aircraft they totally disappeared from
our radar.
[Personal statement concerning JAL Flight 1628 sighting of
unidentified air traffic, Nov. 17, 1986. Written by Capt.
Kenju Terauchi; translated by Sayoko Milnoto, FAA Alaskan
Region, Airway Facilities Division. Received ~y FAA 1/2/87]

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.