Correspondence Regarding Japan Air Lines Flight 1628 UFO Sighting

This document collection consists of a series of letters and memoranda sent to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) office in Anchorage, Alaska, during March 1987. The correspondence is almost exclusively from private citizens requesting information, documentation, transcripts, or photographic material related to a widely publicized UFO sighting involving a Japan Air Lines (JAL) flight over Alaska on November 17, 1986. Many of the correspondents explicitly state that they were prompted to write after hearing a broadcast by radio commentator Paul Harvey on March 5, 1987, who claimed that the FAA had such materials available for public release. The letters reflect a high level of public interest, with individuals from across the United States—including California, Texas, New York, and Washington—seeking details on the incident. Several writers express interest in radar recordings and transcripts of air traffic control communications. The FAA's response, authored by Freedom of Information Coordinator Ivy P. Moore, clarifies the process for obtaining these records under the Freedom of Information Act. Moore notes that the agency provides information such as air traffic inquiry reports, radar computer extractions from King Salmon and Kenai, and voice tapes of air traffic control communications for a fee. She emphasizes that these fees are based on 1974 standards, do not cover the actual cost of reproduction, and that the agency is not profiting from these requests. The collection serves as a record of the administrative burden placed on the FAA following the media coverage of the JAL incident.