FAA Information Package: JAL Flight 1628 Sighting, November 17, 1986

This document is a comprehensive information package released by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Alaskan Region on March 5, 1987, regarding the sighting of unidentified air traffic by the crew of Japan Air Lines (JAL) Flight 1628 on November 17, 1986. The package includes news releases, transcripts of pilot-controller communications, interview records with the flight crew (Captain Kenjyu Terauchi, First Officer Takanori Tamefuji, and Flight Engineer Yoshio Tsukuda), and technical analyses of radar data. Captain Terauchi reported observing two unidentified objects while flying a Boeing 747 cargo flight over Alaska. He described the objects as having amber and white lights, moving in formation with his aircraft, and at one point, appearing as a large 'mothership' and smaller craft. The crew reported that the objects were visible for approximately 60 minutes and were also detected on their onboard weather radar. The FAA investigation, conducted in coordination with military radar data, concluded that the radar targets were 'uncorrelated primary and beacon target returns,' a technical phenomenon where the primary radar signal reflected off the aircraft's surface does not correlate exactly with the transponder beacon signal, creating the appearance of a second target. The FAA stated that while controllers initially suspected another aircraft, the phenomenon was not unusual. The agency concluded that the safety of the air traffic control system was not compromised and that no further investigation was warranted. The document also includes records of other sightings in Alaska, including an Alaska Airlines report from January 1987, and provides instructions for the public to purchase the full investigative file.