Japan Air Lines Flight 1628 Incident

UFO incident involving a Japan Airlines Boeing 747 cargo flight from Paris to Tokyo via Anchorage, Alaska. On November 17, 1986, Captain Kenju Terauchi and his crew reported observing unidentified lights that appeared to follow their aircraft for approximately 400 kilometers across Alaska. The objects were described as displaying unusual flight characteristics, including rapid acceleration and formation changes, and were partially confirmed by Anchorage air traffic control radar.

Captain Terauchi, a veteran pilot with over 10,000 flight hours, described seeing two small objects with rectangular arrays of lights, followed by a much larger craft he estimated as twice the size of an aircraft carrier. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed that their radar detected a “surge primary return” near the aircraft’s position at times corresponding to the crew’s visual observations. However, military radar at the same location showed no corresponding targets, creating conflicting data about the incident.

The FAA investigated the case and officially stated that while they could not explain the radar returns, they found no evidence of extraordinary phenomena. Skeptical researchers have proposed explanations including misidentified conventional aircraft, Jupiter and Mars visibility, radar anomalies, and psychological factors affecting crew perception during night flight operations. The incident gained renewed attention through television documentaries and UFO research publications.

The case remains notable because it involved an experienced commercial pilot, partial radar confirmation, and official government investigation. The incident contributed to the FAA’s policy of not publicizing UFO reports to avoid ridicule of pilots, while highlighting the challenges of investigating aerial anomaly reports that combine credible witnesses with ambiguous physical evidence.