Japan Airlines Flight 1628
A JAL cargo plane crew observed a massive UFO—larger than an aircraft carrier—that followed them for nearly an hour over Alaska. FAA radar confirmed an unknown object.
The Giant UFO Over Alaska
On November 17, 1986, the crew of Japan Airlines Flight 1628, a cargo aircraft, encountered and was followed by a massive UFO over Alaska for nearly an hour. The incident was tracked on FAA radar and generated extensive documentation.
The Crew
JAL Flight 1628:
- Captain Kenju Terauchi
- Copilot Takanori Tamefuji
- Flight Engineer Yoshio Tsukuba
- Experienced crew
- Cargo flight
The Flight
November 17, 1986:
- Paris to Tokyo
- Via Anchorage
- Boeing 747 cargo
- Night flight
- Over Alaska
First Sighting
What appeared:
- Two small lights
- Ahead of aircraft
- Moving erratically
- Approached closer
- Unusual behavior
The Smaller Objects
Initial encounter:
- Two craft
- Square-shaped
- Bright lights
- Pacing aircraft
- Then disappeared
The Giant Craft
What Terauchi saw:
- Massive object
- Twice size of aircraft carrier
- Walnut-shaped
- Pale lights
- Shadowed form
The Duration
Extended encounter:
- Nearly one hour
- Objects paced them
- Multiple phases
- Radar confirmation
- FAA involvement
Radar Confirmation
FAA documented:
- Unknown target
- On military radar
- Near JAL 1628
- Tracked intermittently
- Official record
FAA Response
Controller actions:
- Offered military intercept
- United Airlines pilot asked to look
- Other aircraft diverted
- Extensive documentation
- Taken seriously
Captain Terauchi
His background:
- 29 years experience
- Former fighter pilot
- Credible observer
- Maintained story
- Later grounded briefly
FAA Investigation
John Callahan (FAA):
- Division Chief
- Collected evidence
- CIA briefing
- Told to keep quiet
- Later went public
The Briefing
CIA involved:
- FAA data reviewed
- Multiple agencies
- Told “never happened”
- Cover-up alleged
- Callahan testimony
Physical Effects
Terauchi reported:
- Heat on face
- From object’s lights
- Unusual sensation
- Craft close
- Physical interaction
Media Coverage
Extensive attention:
- Major news story
- International interest
- Terauchi interviewed
- Then silenced
- Controversy
Significance
Commercial airline crew encounter with massive UFO, confirmed on radar, with extensive official documentation and government involvement.
Legacy
The JAL 1628 case remains one of the best-documented aviation UFO encounters, with FAA recordings, radar data, and eventual whistleblower testimony about the subsequent cover-up.