JAL Flight 1628 is a landmark aviation UAP case involving a cargo Boeing 747 and a veteran captain over Alaska, investigated by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.
What happened to JAL Flight 1628?
On November 17, 1986, Captain Kenju Terauchi reported that his Japan Airlines 747 was paced by luminous objects, followed by an enormous walnut- or Saturn-shaped craft he estimated to be larger than an aircraft carrier. The encounter lasted roughly 50 minutes across the Alaskan night sky.
Was there radar confirmation?
The FAA and military radar operators reported intermittent returns near the aircraft's position. FAA division chief John Callahan later went public with the recordings and data, stating they had been reviewed at high levels and then effectively suppressed.
Why is the JAL case important?
It combined a credible commercial pilot, a multi-crew aircraft, an extended duration, and an FAA investigation, a rare officially documented civilian-aviation encounter.