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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. 4 …U.S.-Canadian border to south of Fairbanks . On Jan. 11, 1987, Captain Terauchi also reported…
  • p. 6 …Are you (Fairbanks FAA tower) pickin up a primary target right with that aircraft? Ah, ro…
  • p. 7 …32 Dl5 Japan Air sixteen twenty eight heavy, understand your traffic is over Fairbanks at this…
  • p. 29 …Terauchi We can see ah Fairbanks and Eilsen Air Base. R. Gordon Okay, yes, good, that…
  • p. 46 …Military Eielson Air Force Base and Fairbanks. The lights were still following us at exactly the…
  • p. 48 …About the same time a United Airline passenger aircraft which left Anchorage to Fairbanks flew into…
  • p. 49 …About the same time a United Airline passenger aircraft which left Anchorage to Fairbanks flew into…
  • p. 62 …Beckner Okay, okay, um somewhere down, I guess by Fairbanks guys, the Captain or yourself requested…
  • p. 80 …Japan Airlines Flight 1628 (JL1628) North of Fairbanks, Alaska on November 18, 1986 at 0218 UTC…
  • p. 82 …Japan Airlines Flight 1628 (JL1628) north of Fairbanks, Alaska on November 18, 1986 at 0218 UTC…
  • p. 83 …incident involving aircraft JL 1628 north of Fairbanks on November 18, 1986 at 0218 UTC. My…
  • p. 84 …Japan Airlines Flight 1628 (JL1628) North of Fairbanks, Alaska on November 18, 1986 at 0218 UTC…
  • p. 85 …Japan Airlines Flight 1628 (JL1628) north of Fairbanks, Alaska on November 18, 1986 at 0218 UTC…
  • p. 86 …concerning the incident to JL1628 North of Fairbanks , Alaska, on November 18, 1986 at approximately 0218…
  • p. 87 …the incident to aircraft JL1628 north of Fairbanks, Alaska, on November 18, 1986 at 0218 GMT…
  • p. 88 …Near Fairbanks, the crew executed a 360° turn and the lights stayed with them off of…
  • p. 94 …degree tum while in the vacinity of Fairbanks, Alaska, which he had a visual on. Captain…
The extremely bright lights reflected on snow on the side of
the mountains and seemed even bri1hter. We wondered if they were
searchini somethini on the 1round surface or to (attract?)lead
somethin1. The flight above Alaska territory is eenerally in the
daytime and it is confusing to identify the kind of lights. It
cannot be a base for the spaceship. Is it a movie? There was
something. Oh, yes, it is the Alaska pipeline. The lights must
be a pump station for the pipeline. I 1ot it.
We arrived at the sky above the Eielson Air Force Base and
Falrbanks. It was a clear nieht. The liehts were extremely.
bri1ht to eyes that were used to the dark. Bow bright it was!
We were just above the bright city lights and we checked the i
pale
white lieht behind us. Alas! there was a silhouette of aj
"Anchorage :
. I
We must run away quickly!sisantic spaceship.
Center. This
45 deerees"
·· permission.
followin1 us;
is JL 1628, requesting a change of course to· right!
It felt like a lone time before we received
When we checked our rear there was still the ship!iI
"This is JL 1628. Acain requesting for change the :
'
course 45 degrees to the ri1ht." We had to get away from thatj
object. "JL 1628. This is the Anchorage Center. l
We advise you, i
continue and take 360 degree turn." "JL 1628, thank you. we will!
continue 360 degree turn."
[Personal stat~ment concerning JAL Flight 1628 sighting of
unidentified air traffic, Nov. 17, 1986. Written by Capt.
Kenju Terauchi; translated by Sayoko Mimoto, F.AA Alaskan
Region, Airway Facilities Division. Received by FAA 1/2/87]
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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.