🇺🇸 United StatesJapanese Airlines Flight 1628
The Story
On November 17, 1986, JAL Flight 1628—a Boeing 747 cargo flight—reported two unknown craft near their aircraft over Alaska. Captain Kenju Terauchi described a massive walnut-shaped mothership. FAA radar in Anchorage and a nearby United flight confirmed unknown traffic. The FAA investigation produced inconclusive results.
Timeline
JAL 1628 crew reports unknown craft pacing their 747 over Alaska.
FAA Anchorage radar confirms unexplained traffic near the flight.
FAA releases investigation findings without identifying the objects.
Known Evidence
How well-documented and physically verified the case evidence is.
- Captain Terauchi's detailed flight report and sketch of the objects.
- FAA radar tapes showing unexplained returns near the 747's position.
- United Airlines Flight 69 crew confirmation of unknown traffic in the area.
- Official FAA Division of Accidents Investigation case file.
Unresolved
What We Still Don't Know
- The identity of objects tracked on multiple radar systems.
- Whether Terauchi's visual description matched radar-confirmed objects.
- Why the FAA file did not produce a definitive conventional explanation.
Hypotheses
Theories
Ranked by plausibility — highest first.
Military Aircraft on Classified Exercise
Unknown radar returns were stealth or classified military platforms operating without transponders.
Unidentified Structured Objects
Multiple independent sensors tracked genuinely anomalous craft near the cargo flight.
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