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Package compiled for FAA managers

FAA via National Archives / The Black Vault · 122 pages · text from the file's own layer

This package was compiled by the FAA Alaskan Region Public Affairs Office in Anchorage and sent to FAA managers with a memo from Paul Steucke dated March 5, 1987. It gathers material on the November 17, 1986 sighting by the crew of Japan Air Lines flight 1628: a news release, pilot and controller transcripts, crew interviews and radar analysis. The FAA concluded that it could not confirm the event. It attributed the second radar target to a split, uncorrelated return from the JAL Boeing 747 and planned no further investigation.

  • p. 3 …Investi gation of Japan Air Lines flight 1628 Sighting of Unidentified Air Traffic on November 17…
  • p. 5 …but •.• JL1628 = Japan Air Lines flight #1628 Rl.5 = Controller positicn, Anchorage Air Route Traffic Control…
  • p. 7 …sixty one line. Approach. Look at your radar. We got a Japan Air one six~ eight…
  • p. 82 …a report concerning the incident to Japan Airlines Flight 1628 (JL1628) north of Fairbanks, Alaska on…
  • p. 107 …86 unidentified object sighting by Japan Air Lines flight 1628. (5 pages) PLEASE COMPLETE AND RETURN…
PERSONNEL STATEMENT
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION
Anchorage Air Route Traffic Control Center
January 9, 1986
The following is a report concerning the incident to Japan Airlines Flight
1628 (JL1628) north of Fairbanks, Alaska on November 18, 1986 at 0218 UTC.
~~y name is John L. Aarnink (AA). 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 2230
UTC, November 17, 1986 to 0630 November 18, 1986 I was on duty in the
Anchorage ARTCC. I was training on Sector Dl3 from 2300 UTC, November 17,
1986, to 0300 UTC, November 18, 1986.
I was on my way to take a break when I noticed the unusual activity at the
Sector 15 positions. I plugged into the Cl5 position and assisted them by
answering telephone lines, making and taking handoffs, and coordinating as
necessary. As to the specific incident, I monitored the aircrafts
transmissions and observed data on the radar that coinsided with information
that the pilot of JL1628 reported. I coordinated with the ROCC on the BRAVO
and CHARLIE lines. They confirmed they also saw data in the same location.
At approximately abeam CAWIN intersection, I no longer saw the data and the
pilot advised he no longer saw the traffic. I called the ROCC and they
advised they had lost the target. I then unplugged from the position and
went on a break.
/ .,//Air Traffic Control Specialist
.~ Anchorage ARTCC
--

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Document, cited by the archive. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 122 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.