Japan Airlines flight 1628 (Alaska)
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The visual record
Illustrations, recordings and archival references — each with its own provenance. A documented source is a starting point for investigation, not a verdict on its explanation.
Japan Air Lines Boeing 747-200F
A JAL Cargo 747-200F, the type Captain Kenju Terauchi was flying over Alaska on 17 November 1986 when he reported two lights and a huge 'walnut' shape. Aircraft type photograph · context.
Communi core by S.Fujioka · 1990 ↗CC BY-SA 3.0Licence terms ↗American Alchemy · 0:56:55
Open the source at the cited time. The episode thumbnail is video packaging, not a photograph of the reported subject.
American Alchemy / Jesse Michels ↗YouTube-hosted preview and player; not relicensedJesse Michels · 1:10:03
Open the source at the cited time. The episode thumbnail is video packaging, not a photograph of the reported subject.
American Alchemy / Jesse Michels ↗YouTube-hosted preview and player; not relicensedOn 17 November 1986 Captain Kenju Terauchi of JAL cargo flight 1628 reported two lighted objects and then a very large object pacing his 747 over Alaska for about 50 minutes; Anchorage controllers and military radar briefly saw returns. The FAA released its file in 1987 without explanation. Corpus guests show Terauchi's sketch and cite the radar.
Read the full account
What was reported. Flying a Boeing 747 freighter from Paris to Tokyo via Anchorage, Captain Terauchi reported two small lighted craft ahead of the aircraft near Fort Yukon, then a huge object silhouetted against the night sky that he compared to two aircraft carriers. He requested turns and a descent; the objects stayed with him for about fifty minutes. (FACT about the report.)
What followed. Anchorage ARTCC and Elmendorf AFB radar briefly reported a primary return near the aircraft. The FAA investigated, released its file in 1987 and said the radar return was probably a split image. Terauchi was grounded for a period. (FACT.)
What the corpus adds. In the NASA-whistleblower episode the case is presented with Terauchi's own sketch; in the 2026 skeptic debate the host cites a Japan Airlines pilot flying for 45 minutes with radar that was confiscated as an example of witnesses plus radar. (FACT about testimony.)
Explanations offered. Skeptics attribute the lights to Jupiter and Mars, low on the horizon in that direction, and the large shape to clouds; supporters cite Terauchi's experience and the radar return. (INFERENCE.)
The event
| Date | |
|---|---|
| Place | 64.8400, -147.7200 approximate · United States |
| Official response | The FAA said in March 1987 that it could not confirm the radar data showed a second object and that it had no explanation; former FAA division chief John Callahan later said CIA officials at a briefing asked that the data not be discussed. |
Reported by
- Kenju Terauchi aviation JAL 747 captain
Investigated by
- federal aviation administration government
- john callahan government
Who spoke about it later
- Kevin Knuth 0:56:55 NASA Whistleblower: “We Systematically Suppress UFO Data!” ▶ 2026
- Jesse Michels 1:10:03 I Debated UFOs With America’s Top Skeptic (It Got Ugly...) ▶ 2026
Mentioned in the corpus
Passages this record cites, with the stamp of the block each quote sits in.
NASA Whistleblower: “We Systematically Suppress UFO Data!” 18 January 2026
I Debated UFOs With America’s Top Skeptic (It Got Ugly...) 9 July 2026
- 1:10:03 ▶ Jesse Michels
We have Japan Airlines pilot flying for 45 minutes with radar that was
- 1:10:03 ▶ interview
- 1:10:03 ▶ Jesse Michels
On the map
Japan Airlines flight 1628 (Alaska). Open the full map filtered to this record.
Sources on this record
- 0:56:55 NASA Whistleblower: “We Systematically Suppress UFO Data!” ▶
It was a Japan Airlines cargo flight piloted by Captain Kenju Terauchi. This is the sketch Terauchi drew of what he says he saw
- 1:10:03 I Debated UFOs With America’s Top Skeptic (It Got Ugly...) · Jesse Michels ▶
We have Japan Airlines pilot flying for 45 minutes with radar that was
- Japan Air Lines Cargo Flight 1628 incident