Japan Airlines Flight 1628 Encounter

November 17, 1986 — Alaska Airspace, USA

The Encounter

On November 17, 1986, Japan Airlines cargo flight 1628, a Boeing 747 freighter, was en route from Paris to Tokyo via Anchorage when the crew encountered unidentified objects over eastern Alaska. Captain Kenju Terauchi, a veteran pilot with over 10,000 flight hours, provided detailed testimony of the encounter.

Three Objects

The crew first observed two square-shaped objects with glowing nozzles that paced the aircraft. These were followed by a massive object that Captain Terauchi described as the size of two aircraft carriers. The encounter lasted approximately 50 minutes as the objects maneuvered around the 747.

Radar Confirmation

The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed that both the aircraft's onboard radar and FAA ground radar at Anchorage detected the objects. FAA Division Chief John Callahan later revealed that following the incident, CIA and FBI agents visited FAA offices and confiscated all radar data and recordings, instructing staff that "the event never happened."