Correspondence Regarding Japan Airlines UFO Sighting Information Requests

This document is a collection of correspondence addressed to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in Anchorage, Alaska, between 1987 and 1988. The letters originate from various private citizens, engineers, and investigators across the United States and abroad, including Spain and Scotland. The common thread among these communications is a request for information regarding a UFO sighting involving a Japan Airlines (JAL) flight that occurred off the coast of Alaska on November 17, 1986. Many of the correspondents cite a news broadcast by Paul Harvey as the source of their information, claiming that the FAA possessed a packet of materials, including transcripts of tower communications and computer-enhanced radar images, which were available to the public. The writers frequently inquire about the cost of these materials and express a willingness to remit payment for copies. The documents reflect a high level of public interest in the incident, with some writers describing the object as being as large as two aircraft carriers. The collection serves as a record of the administrative burden placed on the FAA by public inquiries following media coverage of the JAL incident.