Personal statement concerning JAL Flight 1628 sighting of unidentified air traffic

This document is a personal statement written by Captain Kenju Terauchi of Japan Airlines regarding an encounter with unidentified aerial phenomena during JAL Flight 1628 on November 17, 1986. Captain Terauchi describes a flight from Paris to Anchorage with a stop in Iceland. While flying over Alaska, the crew observed two spaceships and a 'Mother ship' that maneuvered in formation with their Boeing 747 cargo aircraft. The objects were described as square-shaped with numerous exhaust pipes and were capable of sudden, high-speed maneuvers that the pilot noted would be impossible for man-made machines. The objects appeared to react to the aircraft's movements and communications. During the encounter, the crew experienced VHF radio interference and observed the objects on their digital weather radar, although ground radar at the Anchorage Center reportedly did not detect them. Captain Terauchi attempted to photograph the objects, but his camera's autofocus failed and the shutter would not close. The encounter lasted approximately 50 minutes and ended when a United Airlines passenger aircraft approached the area, at which point the objects disappeared. The captain expressed that while the crew was concerned about the purpose of the objects, they did not feel in immediate danger. The statement was translated by Sayoko Mimoto of the FAA Alaskan Region and received by the FAA on January 2, 1987.