Documents / Hearing transcript
This FAA compilation, released through the National Archives and The Black Vault, covers Japan Airlines Flight 628's sighting over Alaska on January 11, 1987. It includes an FAA incident report dated February 1987, a chronology of the communications between the crew and Anchorage ARTCC, and statements from controllers and a meteorologist. Radar showed no traffic near the aircraft apart from weather clutter. The report says Captain Terauchi later believed the lights were village lights distorted by ice crystals.
PERSONNEL STATEMENT FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION Anchorage Air Route Traffic Control Center January 11, 1987 The following is a report concerning the incident to Japan Airlines Flight 628, (JL628), on January 11, 1987 at approximately 1629 UTC. My name is LeoRoy J. Stratman (LS). I am employed as an Air Traffic Control Specialist by the Federal Aviation Administration at the Anchorage Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC), Anchorage, Alaska. During the period of 1700 UTC, January 11, 1987, to 2300 UTC, January 12, 1987, I was on duty in the Anchorage ARTCC. I arrived a few minutes early for my assigned 8 o'clock shift and upon my arrival at Anchorage ARTCC the JL628 incident was already in progress. I watched the Facility Coordination Officer's scope and observed weather clutter just ahead of JL628. In my experience at Anchorage ARTCC working R/D 15 it appeared as it always does, as weather clutter when cold and clear. By depressing the weather outline button I could make it disappear and reappear on the PVD. LeoRoy J~ ~tratman Area Manager Anchorage ARTCC
Hearing transcript, cited by the archive. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 14 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.