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.

Open the PDF at page 69 Original source ↗

“white light”15 pages

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…

P. Beckner Okay. So pretty much at the same time you both saw it?
T ~ Tamefuji Right
P. Beckner And at that time it was ten to eleven?
T. Tamefuji Hummm, I thought.
P. Beckner That IS what I'm asking is what you thought?
T. Tamefuji Yeah
P. Beckner Okay. Um·. Okay we discussed the ah, turn, the 360?
T. Tamefuji Um hum
P. Beckner I understand somewhere in the flight you guys also descended from
3, 5, O to 3, 1, O?
T. Tamefuji Yes
P. Beckner Did ~did the object stay with you at that point, or did the
lights stay with you, or whatever?
T. Tamefuji Humm, hum at that time •••
P. Beckner At that time did you still have them in sight?
T. Tamefuji Yes, but ah, different.
P. Beckner Um hum
T. Tamefuji Ah, the object was different side the captain's side so I can
not •••
P. Beckner Okay you could not see it, okay. So you actually saw it only for
about five to ten minutes?
T. Tamefuji fllmmm, I think so.
P. Beckner Ah, because I understand that the ~ the target was ah, not
target, but the item, object, lights, whatever, were in sight for
upwards of around fifty minutes, total. That's what the Captain
saw, was about that length of time.
T. Tamefuji Umm, um
P. Beckner And ah, but I understand that from where you were sitting you
might not have been able to see it as long as he could have?
T. Tamefuji Yeah
P. Beckner Especially during the turn?
19

Cited by

Japan Air Lines Flight 1628: The Alaska Mothership 1986

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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.