Japan Airlines Flight 1628 UFO Encounter

On November 17, 1986, Japan Air Lines cargo flight 1628, a Boeing 747-200F carrying Beaujolais wine from Paris to Tokyo via Anchorage, was cruising at approximately 35,000 feet over northeastern Alaska when Captain Kenji Terauchi, a veteran pilot with thousands of flight hours, observed unusual lights ahead of and below the aircraft.

The Incident

As the aircraft continued on its route, Terauchi and his two crew members reported that the lights resolved into three distinct objects:

• Two smaller craft appeared to fly in formation ahead of the Boeing
• A much larger object trailed behind at a distance, which Terauchi described as being comparable in size to two aircraft carriers placed side by side
• The encounter reportedly lasted approximately fifty minutes as the objects followed the aircraft across roughly 640 kilometres of Alaskan airspace

Air Traffic Control Response

Captain Terauchi contacted the FAA air traffic control centre in Anchorage during the encounter, and controllers attempted to verify the presence of the objects on radar. Initial FAA reports indicated that a primary radar return had been detected in the vicinity of the aircraft, though subsequent review was inconclusive.

The FAA also dispatched a United Airlines airliner and a military C-130 transport to the area, but neither crew reported visual or radar contact with any unusual objects.

Investigation and Findings

The FAA conducted a formal investigation under the direction of John Callahan, then the division chief of the Accidents and Investigations branch. The investigation characterised Terauchi as a repeater — someone who had reported unusual aerial phenomena on multiple occasions.

Key findings included:

• The sighting was attributed to a probable misidentification of the planets Jupiter and Mars
• This explanation was not universally accepted, particularly given the duration of the encounter and the initial radar corroboration
• Terauchi maintained his account and was later reassigned to desk duty

The JAL 1628 case is one of the most thoroughly documented commercial aviation UAP encounters, involving a veteran airline pilot, FAA radar records, and a formal government investigation. The FAA's handling of the case — particularly the characterisation of the pilot as a repeater and the planetary misidentification explanation — became a frequently cited example of how authorities can undermine witness credibility when confronted with UAP reports from professional observers. Kean Ch. 22 provides first-person account from John J. Callahan, FAA Division Chief of Accidents and Investigations. Callahan ordered detailed radar data analysis at the FAA Technical Center in Atlantic City, New Jersey. His team prepared a full briefing with three screens of data (pilot audio, radar, ATC communications synchronized). Admiral Donald D. Engen, FAA Administrator, initially ordered Callahan to brief the media — then cancelled after attending the CIA briefing. The CIA briefing included Reagan administration scientific staff. After the briefing, a CIA agent told attendees: 'This event never happened. We were never here. We're confiscating all this data.' All video tapes, printouts, and the pilot's original report were confiscated. Callahan had secretly retained personal copies of all materials. His wife J. Dori Callahan, an FAA radar systems expert, independently analyzed the radar printouts and confirmed the unknown object was real — not a radar malfunction or split return. Harvey Safeer was Callahan's direct supervisor. The radar showed the object was twice the size of an aircraft carrier. Japanese crew confirmed visual contact with a giant walnut-shaped object with lights.