1987 Alaska PRSA Aurora Award Category #8, 'Other' - JAL 1628 UFO Public Affairs Plan

This document outlines the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) public affairs strategy regarding the November 17, 1986, sighting of unidentified aerial phenomena by the crew of Japan Airlines (JAL) flight 1628 over Alaska. The FAA's primary objective was to manage intense national and international media interest while maintaining agency integrity and complying with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The plan involved centralizing all investigative data, conducting a coordinated press conference on March 5, 1987, and providing comprehensive information packages to the public and media simultaneously to prevent 'scoop' advantages or accusations of a cover-up. The document details the internal challenges faced by the agency, including unauthorized interviews by staff and the difficulty of managing public perception when radar data was ambiguous. The FAA ultimately concluded that the radar tracks associated with the sighting were split-image artifacts of the JAL aircraft. The report also includes supplementary information regarding other UFO-related topics, such as the 'leaky embargo' theory proposed by Dr. James W. Deardorff, historical sightings by Senator Richard B. Russell, and various pilot reports of unidentified objects, reflecting the broader context of UFO interest during the 1980s.