Correspondence Regarding Japan Air Lines Flight 1628 UFO Sighting

This collection of documents consists of correspondence between the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and various members of the public, as well as internal FAA memoranda, regarding the sighting of an unidentified aerial phenomenon by the crew of Japan Air Lines (JAL) Flight 1628 on November 17, 1986. The incident, which occurred while the aircraft was en route from Reykjavik to Anchorage, involved reports of a large object, described by the crew as being as large as two aircraft carriers, and the observation of 'light belts.' The FAA received numerous requests from the public for information, including transcripts, interview recordings, and radar data. The documents indicate that the FAA Alaskan Region handled these requests and prepared a package of materials for release. A press conference regarding the incident was scheduled for March 5, 1987. The FAA provided specific materials to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) on an embargoed basis, with the understanding that the information would not be distributed until after the press conference. The materials released included interviews with the pilot, Kenju Terauchi, the first officer, and the flight engineer, as well as transcriptions of communications between the flight crew and ground controllers, and data regarding 'uncorrelated radar signals.'