About Japan Air Lines Flight 1628 incident
The Japan Air Lines Flight 1628 incident occurred on November 17, 1986, when the crew of a Boeing 747 cargo plane reported seeing unidentified lights accompanying their aircraft over eastern Alaska. The crew observed the objects for roughly 40 to 50 minutes, and the pilot later described a massive craft and intense heat. Although initial media reports claimed radar confirmation, the Federal Aviation Administration concluded that the radar return was a split image of the aircraft itself and that no other objects were confirmed.
- Date
- 17 November 1986, early evening (twilight)
- Place
- Over eastern Alaska, near Fort Yukon, en route to Anchorage
- Aircraft
- Boeing 747-200 freighter, carrying French wine from Paris to Tokyo via Reykjavík and Anchorage
- Crew
- Capt. Kenji (Kenju) Terauchi; co-pilot Takanori Tamefuji; flight engineer Yoshio Tsukuba
- Duration
- About 40–50 minutes; reported over some 400 miles (640 km)
- Investigation
- Federal Aviation Administration, Alaskan Region
- Proposed explanations
- Jupiter and Mars; moonlit ice-crystal clouds; radar split image
- Also known as
- JAL 1628, Japan Air Lines Flight 1628
- Location
- over eastern Alaska
The full story, section by section
The story of Japan Air Lines Flight 1628 incident in 5 parts. Tap any part to read it in full.
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The flightFlight 1628 was a Japan Air Lines Boeing 747-200 freighter flying from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport to Tokyo's Narita International Airport, with stops in Reykjavík (Keflavík) and Anchorage, carrying a cargo of French wine for Japan.Read this part → Illustration drawn for this site — not a photograph.
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The sightingOn the Reykjavík–Anchorage leg, at 35,000 feet over eastern Alaska — Wikipedia gives the time as 17:11, while Klass wrote that the incident began about 6:15 p.m.Read this part →
Fort Yukon, Alaska, near where the incident began. · Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons -
PublicityThe incident became public after inquiries by Japanese news media in late December 1986.Read this part → Illustration drawn for this site — not a photograph.
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FAA investigationUnder pressure, the FAA reopened its inquiry.Read this part →
The FAA's Anchorage Air Route Traffic Control Center, which handled the flight. · Photo: US DOT FAA, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons -
ExplanationsKlass, a senior editor at Aviation Week & Space Technology and leading UFO skeptic, reported in a CSICOP press release that as the incident began near Fort Yukon, with the 747 flying south in twilight, the very bright planet Jupiter (magni…Read this part →
Philip J. Klass in 1977. He argued the crew saw Jupiter, Mars and moonlit ice clouds. · Photo: Robert Sheaffer, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Read the full Japan Air Lines Flight 1628 incident article →
Key people
The people at the centre of the story — witnesses, investigators, officials and sceptics:
- Bruce MaccabeeBruce S. Maccabee was an American optical physicist and government scientist who became a prominent UFO researcher over five decades. He investigated numerous well-known UFO photographs, films, and r…
- J. Allen HynekJ. Allen Hynek was an American astronomer and professor who served for over two decades as the U.S.
- Leslie KeanLeslie Kean is an American investigative journalist and author known for her reporting on unidentified flying objects and her 2010 best-selling book on the subject. She co-authored a 2017 New York Ti…
- Ron PandolfiRonald Pandolfi is an American scientist and former Central Intelligence Agency officer who worked as a scientific and intelligence analyst. He is widely associated with UFO research and is frequentl…
- Philip KlassPhilip Julian Klass was an American aviation and aerospace journalist who became widely known as a leading UFO skeptic and debunker. Working as a senior editor for Aviation Week & Space Technology, h…
Related cases & events
Events and sightings linked to Japan Air Lines Flight 1628 incident:
Programs, organizations & documents
The official programs, groups and papers involved:
Related topics & places
Ideas, terms and places that come up in the story:
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Questions & answers
What is Japan Air Lines Flight 1628 incident?
Japan Air Lines Flight 1628 incident: The Japan Air Lines Flight 1628 incident occurred on November 17, 1986, when the crew of a Boeing 747 cargo plane reported seeing unidentified lights accompanying their aircraft over eastern Alaska. The crew observed the objects for roughly 40 to 50 minutes, and the pilot later described a massive craft and intense heat. Although initial media reports claimed radar confirmation, the Federal Aviation Administration concluded that the radar return was a split image of the aircraft itself and that no other objects were confirmed. Read: Japan Air Lines Flight 1628 incident →
Where is Japan Air Lines Flight 1628 incident?
Japan Air Lines Flight 1628 incident is in over eastern Alaska. Read: Japan Air Lines Flight 1628 incident →
What else is Japan Air Lines Flight 1628 incident called?
Japan Air Lines Flight 1628 incident is also known as JAL 1628, Japan Air Lines Flight 1628.
Who is Bruce Maccabee?
Bruce Maccabee: Bruce S. Maccabee was an American optical physicist and government scientist who became a prominent UFO researcher over five decades. He investigated numerous well-known UFO photographs, films, and radar cases while maintaining a long, informal relationship with CIA employees interested in the subject. Read: Bruce Maccabee →
Who is J. Allen Hynek?
J. Allen Hynek was an American astronomer and professor who served for over two decades as the U.S. Read: J. Allen Hynek →
Who is Leslie Kean?
Leslie Kean is an American investigative journalist and author known for her reporting on unidentified flying objects and her 2010 best-selling book on the subject. She co-authored a 2017 New York Times story that revealed the Pentagon's secret Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program. Admirers credit her reporting with helping remove the stigma from the subject, while critics argue she has lent respectability to unverified claims. Read: Leslie Kean →
What is 1986 in UFO history?
1986 in UFO history: The text details UFO and UAP events, military encounters, government programs, and secrecy cases that occurred during the year 1986. Key occurrences included the Brazilian "Night of the UFOs" radar sightings in May, the Japan Air Lines Flight 1628 sighting over Alaska in November, and government testimonies regarding classified special access programs. Read: 1986 in UFO history →
What is U.S. Air Force?
U.S. Air Force: The United States Air Force is the air service branch of the U.S. armed forces that became an independent service in September 1947. Read: U.S. Air Force →
What is Unidentified flying object?
Unidentified flying object: An unidentified flying object, or UFO, is an unexplained phenomenon or object seen in the sky, with the modern craze originating in the United States in June 1947. While popular culture often equates UFOs with alien spacecraft, most investigations reveal them to be known objects, natural phenomena, hoaxes, or mirages, and no government investigation has ever concluded they are extraterrestrial. Read: Unidentified flying object →