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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. 12 …Review of this radar data by FAA experts using identical equipment at the FAA's research…
  • p. 17 …Airways Facilities, interviewed JAL Captain Kenju Terauchi at JAL Operations, Anchorage, Alaska. The interview was conducted…
  • p. 52 …so I couldn't see, but ah at first ah, humm, (unintelligibl•) what can I write…
  • p. 53 …see at that time. P. Beckner Okay, ah was there, was there clear night? T. Tamefuji…
  • p. 58 …Tamefuji But almost dark I must say night • P. Beckner Okay, you could see the stars…
  • p. 76 …We had night illumination at above sideways. I was using a spot light while calculating the…
  • p. 100 …The aircraft was flying at 35 ,000 feet altitude at night, and the weather was clear…
s. Mimoto While conversation was going, I peeked out and momentarily I saw
it.
P. Beckner You saw this, okay. Um, after the turn. Were you able to see
anything anymore, like this light pattern here?
T. Tamefuji No
P. Beckner Ckay, er this - this pattern here?
T. Tamefuji Humm, no.
P. Beckner Okay. And tha - so that was the last time you saw it, was prior
to the turn • • •
T. Tamefuji Humm
P. Beckner Okay, okay. Well sir, that's all I can think to ask you. Is
there anything you'd like ta - to further add ~ and give us some
more understanding to what you folks saw up there?
T. Tamefuju Humm, no well, I am certain that I saw something.
s. Mimoto Well I'm - I'm sure I saw something.
T. Tamefuji It was clear enough to make me believe taht there was an oncoming
aircraft.
s. Mimoto '!his is clearly enough to make me believe it was an oncoming
airplane.
P. Beckner Okay
T. Tamefuji '!hat's the starting point of this story.
s. Mimoto 'Iha~'s the beginning of this story.
P. Beckner No the story, ah, (laughter). Cl<ay um, well that pretty much
concludes the questions I have for you. And again I appreciate
you coming in. Especially on such short notice. And Sy I
appreciate you coming in also on such short notice. So thank you
very much •
T. Tamefuji And ah, can I ask one question?
P. Beckner Sure
T. Tamefuji Ah, I read the FAA news hummm, ah, humm, I found military radar
picked up some kind of target on their radar. (unintelligible)
What type of understanding?
P. Beckner Umm, I'm not sure what they seen on that radar, right at the
present moment.
22

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.