JAL Flight 1628 Encounter

OPENING SCENE It was a clear, deeply cold night over the Yukon Territory of northwest Canada on Friday, November 17, 1986, when the captain of Japan Airlines Flight 1628 — a Boeing 747-200F cargo aircraft carrying a load of French wine from Paris to Tokyo via Anchorage — radioed Anchorage Air Route Traffic Control. His voice was calm. There were, he said, two square-shaped objects flying alongside his aircraft at 39,000 feet, each with rows of glowing rectangular windows. They had been with him for several minutes. Then, behind them, was something much larger — what Captain Kenju Terauchi, a 30-year veteran with 10,000+ hours of flight time, would later compare to "the size of two aircraft carriers." Anchorage radar acquired an unknown target near the JAL position. The U.S. Air Force military radar at Elmendorf AFB acquired the same target. For the next 31 minutes — until Flight 1628 was on final approach into Anchorage — the most well-documented commercial-aviation UFO encounter in modern history would unfold across three independent radar systems and one terrified flight crew. BACKGROUND JAL Flight 1628 was a regular cargo run from Paris to Tokyo via Iceland and Anchorage. On the night of November 17, 1986, it was flying eastbound across Alaska at FL390 (39,000 feet). The crew consisted of Captain Kenju Terauchi (a 30-year aviation veteran), First Officer Takanori Tamefuji, and Flight Engineer Yoshio Tsukuba. The encounter began at approximately 17:11 Alaska Standard Time. TIMELINE (Alaska Standard Time) • Nov 17, 1986, 1709 — JAL 1628 enters U.S. airspace east of Fort Yukon, Alaska, cruising at FL390. • 1711 — Captain Terauchi notices lights at the 11 o'clock position, lower than his aircraft. He initially assumes they are military aircraft. • 1719 — The two smaller objects pull alongside JAL 1628 at the same altitude. They are described as roughly square-shaped, with rows of glowing rectangular openings. • 1725 — The two smaller objects depart. A much larger object — what Terauchi later sketched as a "walnut-shaped" structure — appears behind the 747. • 1725–1740 — Anchorage Air Route Traffic Control (ARTC) confirms a primary radar return at the JAL position not corresponding to any known traffic. Elmendorf AFB military radar independently confirms. • 1740 — Terauchi requests permission to take evasive action, descending from FL390 to FL310. The unknown radar return follows the descent. • 1745–1750 — JAL 1628 begins approach into Anchorage. The unknown target fades from radar. • 1810 — JAL 1628 lands safely at Anchorage. • Nov 17, 1986 (evening) — Crew debriefed by FAA inspectors. • Dec 1986 — The FAA Anchorage office, led by Division Chief John Callahan, conducts internal review. Radar tapes are pulled. • Jan 5, 1987 — United Press International picks up the story. National coverage follows. • Mar 1987 — Captain Terauchi is reassigned to ground duties after his public statements. He returns to flight duty several years later. • 2001 — John Callahan goes public at the Disclosure Project press conference, stating that the JAL 1628 radar tapes were briefed to the CIA, FBI, and President Reagan's science advisor. KEY WITNESSES & PEOPLE • Capt. Kenju Terauchi (1932–2025) — primary witness; veteran JAL captain. Issued multiple consistent public statements until his retirement. • First Officer Takanori Tamefuji — corroborating witness. • Flight Engineer Yoshio Tsukuba — corroborating witness. • John Callahan — FAA Division Chief, Anchorage; conducted the internal review. Later authorised the public release of the case. • Sam Rich — Anchorage ARTC controller. • Carl E. Henley — Elmendorf AFB radar operator. LOCATION Northwest Yukon and central Alaska, USA. JAL 1628's encounter path: roughly Fort Yukon (66.6°N, 145.3°W) to Anchorage (61.2°N, 149.9°W). DATES & TIME PERIOD November 17, 1986, 17:09 – 18:10 Alaska Standard Time. SOURCE HISTORY The JAL 1628 case is exceptionally well-documented for a commercial-aviation UFO event: 1. Anchorage ARTC radar tapes (recovered and reviewed by John Callahan). 2. Elmendorf AFB military radar logs. 3. FAA crew interview transcripts. 4. Capt. Terauchi's hand-drawn sketches and his written statements (1986 and later). 5. John Callahan's public testimony (2001) and FAA internal review. EVIDENCE SUMMARY • Witness testimony: Three trained aviation professionals (cockpit crew) plus ATC and military radar operators. • Radar tracks: Three independent radar systems (Anchorage ARTC, Elmendorf AFB, JAL 1628's own onboard weather radar — which Terauchi reported showing a return). • Photographs / video: None — no cockpit photography equipment on the flight. • Physical traces: None. • Government investigation: FAA internal review; reportedly briefed to U.S. intelligence agencies and the Reagan White House. MEDIA SUMMARY The most-cited visual material is Capt. Terauchi's hand-drawn sketches of the two smaller objects and the "walnut-shaped" larger object, plus the radar plots from the FAA review. OFFICIAL RECORDS • FAA internal review files, December 1986–January 1987. • Anchorage ARTC radar tapes (originals retained by the FAA). • Elmendorf AFB radar logs. • Capt. Terauchi's written statement, November 17, 1986. MAJOR CLAIMS • A Boeing 747 cargo flight was paced by two smaller and one larger unidentified object over Alaska for 31 minutes. • Three independent radar systems acquired a target consistent with the visual observation. • The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration conducted an internal review and confirmed the radar returns. • The case is the most-documented commercial-aviation UFO encounter on record. SKEPTICAL EXPLANATIONS • Misidentified astronomical phenomenon: Skeptic Philip Klass argued in 1987 that the lights were Jupiter and Mars, both of which were visible in the relevant part of the sky. The radar returns, Klass argued, were due to ionospheric reflections or moonbeam reflection off ice. This explanation is contested. • Aircraft mirror image: Side-lobe radar return from the JAL 747 itself misinterpreted as a separate target. • Ice crystals: Specialised atmospheric phenomena producing both the visual and radar effect. DISPUTED DETAILS • Whether the radar returns can be explained by side-lobe artefacts or ionospheric reflection. • Whether the largest object Terauchi described actually existed or was a perceptual artefact of fatigue at high altitude in cold conditions. • Whether Capt. Terauchi's public statements over the years have remained sufficiently consistent. DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES • FAA view (Callahan): The radar returns were real; the case is genuinely unidentified. • Skeptic view (Klass): Jupiter + Mars + side-lobe radar return + a tired pilot. • Researcher view (Bruce Maccabee, MUFON): One of the most evidentially supported commercial-aviation UFO cases in the world; ranks alongside Belgian Wave and Tehran F-4 in evidentiary quality. LATER DEVELOPMENTS • 2001 — John Callahan's Disclosure Project testimony. • 2017 — Following the AATIP story, JAL 1628 is widely re-cited as a major commercial-aviation precedent. • 2024 — AARO Historical Record Report references the case. CULTURAL IMPACT The most-cited commercial-aviation UFO case in 20th-century U.S. records. Captain Terauchi's hand-drawn sketches are a recurring image in UAP literature. RELATED CASES • Chicago O'Hare Airport UFO (2006) — major modern commercial aviation case. • Stephenville Lights (2008) — Texas, FAA radar. • Tehran F-4 Incident (1976) — earlier military aviation parallel. REFERENCES & SOURCES • Maccabee, Bruce. "The JAL 1628 UFO." MUFON Journal, 1987. • Klass, Philip J. "UFOs: The Public Deceived" (Prometheus, 1983; rev. 1987). • Callahan, John. Disclosure Project press conference testimony, May 9, 2001. • FAA internal review files, December 1986 (Anchorage Flight Standards District Office). • Terauchi, Capt. Kenju. Personal written statement, November 17, 1986.