Media contacts to the FAA

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)) BY JA L 87 47 PILOT, CARGO, ON NOV. 17, 1986. ITEM DID NOT BE CO ME NEWS
) ) UNT I L l<YO DO NEWS SERVI CE (JAPAN) PICKED IT UP IN JAPAN SOMEH OW AND
) ) ST ART ED A SK ! NG QUEST! ONS ON DEC. 24TH. UPI PI CKED IT UP FR OM JAPAN ON
l) DE C. 29 WH E N I T WENT ON WI RE. BEST REGARDS, PAUL Sl EUCKE.
) )
)) Ori November 17, 1986, at appro x imately 6:30 pm, the Captain ot a
)) JAL B 7 4 7 Cargo flight, enroute to Anchorage and Toyko over the N. Pole,
)) re ported sig h ting what appeared to be another aircraft flying about 8
) ) mi 1 es f rom him at the same speed and direction.
)) He reported the other air traffic, which had white and yellow
) )strobe 1 i ghts that were not in a usual aircraft pattern, to the Anch.
) )A i r Route Traffic Control Center, and requested a report as to wei ther
)) or not there was other aircraft in the area.
) ) The control! er reported there were none in the area, al though he
)) d i d at times see another blip on radar along with the JAL fl i ght.
))( Mi l i tar y radar at Elmendorf AFB also reported seeinq the second tarqet .
) ) The JAL Captain requested a change in altitude-from 35 0 to 310; and
)) als o pe r formed a 360 degree turn in an attempt to discover if the mystery
)) lig h ts f ollowed.
)) The lights moved from in back of the Jal flight to the side and front
) )dur i ng the early encounter, but disappeared after the 360 turn. All three
) ) crew members os the JAL f 1 i ght saw the 1 i ghts and provided interviews to
) ) FAA upon 1 anding at Anchorage .
) )
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) ) T h e 1 i gt1ts moved from in back o f the Jal flight to the side and fr o nt
)) dur in g the early encounter, but d i sappeared after the 360 tu r n. All three
) ) crew members os the JAL flight saw the 1 i ghts and provided i nterviews to
)) FAA upon landing at Anchorage.
)) The Controller, with the approval of a United Airlines flight, enroute
) )( appro v al of the Captain of the flight) northbound from An ch orage to
)) Fa i rban k s, deviated his flgiht path so that he could observe the JAL flight
)) and check for lights . The United Airlines Captain reported that he saw the
)) JAL fl i ght clearly against a grey background but did not see any other
) ) o b ject o r lights.
) ) Interviews of the crew by FAA revealed only that the crew was
) )professional, well trained, rational, not affected by drugs or alcoho l ,
) ) a n d that all three saw something with blinking 1 i ghts accompany them
))f or ab o ut 5 0 miles across the Northern part of Alaska.
) ) The Fa i rbanks FAA Airport Approach radar tried to 1 ocate the
) ) s e con d target as the flight came and went through their 1 i mi ted rada r
) ) ra n d, but did not find anything.
)) U.S. Military authorities were promptly notified by FAA at the
))ti me of the sighting but were unable to provide any information that mi g h t
)) c l ar i f y the i dentity of the lighted object.
)) The re were no other reports of unknown objects in the area by other
)) a irc ra f t, although there were few aircraft in the area at the time.
)) T h e FAA ha s collected information on th e incident but i s not
)) in v est i gating i t as there is notlhing to invesigate. END
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