17 November 1986; public release 29 December; final FAA report 5 March 1987 / T161
Japan Airlines flight 1628
Alaska, en route toward Anchorage
Witness account
The crew of Japan Airlines cargo flight 1628 reported unusual lights during a flight over Alaska on 17 November 1986. Captain Kenju Terauchi also described a much larger object. Radio communications and subsequent interviews prompted FAA review, followed by renewed inquiry when the story became public at the end of December.
Public record
Contemporary UPI reports distinguish the event from the FAA’s 29 December release, January reopening and final report released on 5 March 1987. The FAA did not identify the visual phenomenon, but found that a purported corroborating radar return was attributable to a split image and said the radar evidence could not support the visual claim.