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, 198 7 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 Ricky Thompson (RT). I am employed as an Air Traffic Control Specialist by the Federal Aviation Administration at the Anchorage Air Route Tr affic Control Center (ARTCC), Anchorage, Alaska. During the period of 1430 UTC, January 11, 1987 to 2230 UTC, January 11, 1987, I was on duty in the Anchorage ARTCC. I was working the R/Dl5 position from 1422 UTC, January 11, 1987, to 1632 UTC, and the Rl5 position from 1632 UTC, January 11, 1987, to 1645 UTC, January 11, 1987. At approximately 1629Z, JL628 reported an object at his 12 o'clock position 5 miles, and 2000' below him. He stated that it was not an aircraft and then made a statement in Japanese. The pilot then requested 45° turns and I approved his r equest. The Regional Ope rations Control Center, (ROCC), called me and said the only aircraft in that area was JL628. I adjusted the radar scale to 400NM, and soon picked up a primary target. A few minutes later I identified the target as JL628, 220NM north of Fairbanks. I centered the radar scope on JL628 and reduced the scale, but saw no othe r targets. At 1632 UTC, Gail Ferguson relieved me on the Dl5 position and at 1646 UTC she assumed the R/Dl5 combined position. I had no further contact with JL628. ~ ~-= Ricky T~pson - Air Traffic Control Specialist Ancho~age ARTCC I
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.