Japan Air Lines cargo crew report lights following their 747 over Alaska
November 17, 1986 · Eastern Alaska (flight path to Anchorage) · Sighting · Primary document linked
On 17 November 1986, the crew of Japan Air Lines cargo flight 1628, a Boeing 747 at 35,000 feet bound for Anchorage, reported lights that followed the aircraft for about 50 minutes and over 350 miles. Captain Kenju Terauchi described one as 'twice the size of an aircraft carrier', and the plane's weather radar showed an object ahead. A military radar center reported a primary target near the plane at times.
Why it matters (3/5)
Airline-crew case with FAA radar review; well documented and widely discussed.
Caveats
Anchorage Center's radar showed nothing, and the FAA's 1987 report was 'unable to support' a UFO while not fully explaining what the crew saw, attributing the radar target to clutter or anomaly. Philip Klass argued Jupiter, with Mars nearby, was where the captain saw the object. The FAA files run to more than 1,500 pages and were not opened.
Video and images
- FAA records on JAL 1628: ATC transcripts, flight path chart, crew statements (Image, The Black Vault (mirror of NARA RG 237))
Sources
- FAA file 733667-001-007: Captain Terauchi's written statement (English translation) (Federal Aviation Administration), primary
- The Vault Files: 1986 Alaska, JAL Flight 1628 (The Black Vault), context