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This FAA file, released through The Black Vault, collects correspondence and memos about the Japan Air Lines flight 1628 UFO report over Alaska on November 17, 1986. It includes Philip J. Klass's 1987 Skeptical Inquirer article, which attributes the sighting to Jupiter, Mars and moonlit ice clouds, and FAA Alaskan Region public affairs memos on the premature release of investigation material. It also contains Richard F. Haines's request for the case file and Paul Steucke's reply explaining the radar returns as uncorrelated targets.
US Department of Tronsponation Federal Aviation Administration Memori ndu Sub1ect nFORi·iATION: Release of I nc idenc. Infor1;1ation re . JAL 1628 (UFJ) Date Di rector 's Response From Pub.iic f-1ffairs Jfficer Reoiy to Attn of To FL.e On March 12, 1987 , 1 : 30 pm, I ~et at the request of the Director and Deputy to discuss the co~munication prob.iems tnat existed between AAL- 5 and AAL- 500 ( AAL- 500 was in attendance also), resul ting from AAL-500 's refusal to continue providing FOIA materials on the JAL 1628 UFO flight, statements made by AAL- 500 in the Director 's staff 1neeting re L.he "ma r ket ing" of UFO rr.ater ial by AAL- 5, and tne .subsequent vior~load placed upon .H.f..L- 500, and tr1e questioning of AAL- 5 authority to request FOIA materials based on a news media verbal request C-i . Sayles) . Resul t of t~is dialo~ue was that AAL- 5 would henceforth preface requests witn a statement L.o determine the workload/response possibility of AAL- 500 prior to making requests for AAL- 500 services, ie FOIA . AAL- 500 and AAL- 5 agreed to cease hosti~e dialogue . In a related but separate action, t he Director responded to my memoranciu~ of March 10 , 1987 , documenting the pre- r eiea3e of JAL 1628 investigation ~ate ria l by Wasnington D.C . FAA staff (via infor~ation provided by AAL- 500) , by stating tnat 1 ). t he release of the material mignt have taken to long , 2) . you cannot expect t he system in FAA to ~eep material confidentiai, and tnat 3) . ne would take care of ti·i::..s in a personal manner L.he next t.iilie he visits the ',Jasnington, D. C. office . I infor111ed the Director/Deputy tr.ac. considering their res;:ion3e and tne systeffi ' s inability to protect FAA invesci gation ~ateri3l (wnile in progress) that in nindsigi1t I u:ight not in the future r espond to e1:12rgency info rmation situations in the same manner . ! agreed not to pursue this matter any further .
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