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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. 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…
...
A JAL flight engineer, Yoshie Tsukuba, was interviewed by Pete
Beckner of FAA on January 15, 1987, through an interpreter,
Sayoko Mimoto, regarding to the UFO which had been sighted on the
17th of November, 1986, by Captain Terauchi.
Beckner:
Tsukuba:
Beckner:
Mimoto:
Tsukuba:
Beckner:
Describe what you saw.
May I speak in Japanese?
Oh! Yes, please.
Oh! yes, please.
The first tima I saw it was through the Ll window, at
the 11 o'clock position. It looked larger than
navigation lights. I do not remember · exactly how many
of those were there but cluster5 of lights
were undulating.
What was the color of those lights, was it green?
Tsukuba: I can not describe the details but it was white or
amber colored lights.
Beckner: When you saw the object was it obvious to you? Did you
notice it immediately?
Tsukuba: Yes, it was. I noticed it immediately.
Beckner: Did it stay with you at position 11 o'clock?
did you see this object?
How long
Tsukuba: Yes, approximately 5 minutes, 10 minutes, I think I saw
it for about 10 minutes after I sighted it the first
time. The reason is because the Captain wanted to take
pictures. His camera bag was placed behind his seat,
beside mine, and I handed it to him. But he could not
take pictures, so I placed his camera bag beside my
seat again. Sa I think it took about 10 minutes.
Be c kner: Why could he not take any pictures?
Ts ukuba: We ll, his camera is Alpha 7,000, with film ASA 100. He
could not operate it wall. I mean the operating
procedure of the camera was not understood well.
Beckner: What kind of camera did he hav•?
1

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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.