The 1986 JAL 1628 Encounter: FAA and Military Radar Documentation

Visual and Radar Correlation\n\nOn November 17, 1986, Captain Kenju Terauchi and the crew of Japan Air Lines (JAL) flight 1628 were transporting a cargo of Beaujolais wine from Paris to Tokyo via Anchorage. While flying over northern Alaska at 35,000 feet, the crew observed two rectangular arrays of lights that positioned themselves directly in front of the Boeing 747. These objects followed the aircraft for several minutes, performing maneuvers that Terauchi described as defying gravity. The encounter escalated when a third, much larger craft—estimated to be the size of two aircraft carriers—appeared behind the plane, confirmed by both the crew’s visual sighting and ground-based radar returns from the FAA and Elmendorf Air Force Base.\n\n

Federal Aviation Administration Investigation\n\nJohn Callahan, the FAA’s Division Chief of the Accidents and Investigations branch at the time, later revealed that the agency had suppressed the radar data from the event. According to Callahan, the radar tapes showed the UAP performing 'impossible' jumps of several miles in a single radar sweep. During a briefing with representatives from the CIA and the FBI, Callahan was allegedly told that the event 'never happened' and that the data was to be confiscated. However, Callahan managed to retain a copy of the radar printouts and the pilot’s testimony, which he eventually brought to public attention.\n\n

Technical Significance of the Data\n\nThe JAL 1628 case is considered one of the 'gold standard' UAP encounters due to the triple-confirmation of the event: visual observation by a highly experienced pilot, on-board weather radar detection, and multiple independent ground radar stations. The declassified FAA records, now accessible through FOIA, include the transcript of the communication between Captain Terauchi and Anchorage Air Traffic Control, where the pilot frantically asks for traffic information on the 'huge' craft following him. The AARO 2024 historical report briefly mentions the case, though it remains officially listed as an 'unidentified' encounter due to the extraordinary flight characteristics recorded on the primary radar returns.