Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Request Correspondence Regarding UFO Sightings in Alaska

This document collection consists of correspondence between the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and John Greenewald, Jr., regarding Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for records of UFO sightings in Alaska, specifically focusing on the November 17, 1986, incident involving Japan Airlines flight JL 1628. The initial request in 2001 resulted in an offer of 107 pages of documents, provided the requester withdrew the formal FOIA request to avoid commercial fees. Subsequent correspondence from 2009 indicates that the FAA was unable to provide the requested records, stating that they had been destroyed in accordance with FAA Order 1350.15C, which governs records organization, transfer, and destruction standards. Despite the destruction of the primary files, the FAA provided a two-page 'ASIAS Brief Report' (Aviation Safety Information Analysis and Sharing) regarding the incident. This report confirms the date of the event as November 17, 1986, in Fort Yukon, Alaska, and describes the incident as 'UNIDENTIFIED TRAFFIC NOTED ON RADAR BY CREW AND ATC FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME.' The FAA maintained that no other responsive records existed within their electronic files or at the Anchorage Air Route Traffic Control Center, the Anchorage Airport Traffic Control Tower, the Anchorage Terminal Radar Approach Control facility, or the Alaska Flight Services Information Area Group.