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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, 1987
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.
My name is Erland D. Stephens (AS). 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 0100 UTC, November 18,
1986 , I was on duty in the Anchorage ARTCC.
in Charge position from 0100 UTC, November
18 , 1986.
1986, to 0900 UTC, November 18,
I was working the Area Manager
18, 1986, to 0900 UTC, November
At 0221 UTC I was notified by Joe Rollins, Area B Supervisor, that JL1628,
had reported traffic at his altitude (FL 350), distance one (1) mile with a
white and yellow strobe light. I notified the Alaska Regional Operations
Center (ROC) and the Elmendorf Regional Operational Control Center (ROCC)
about this observed traffic.
At 0233 UTC, after Mr. Rollins advised me that JL1628 had reported the
t raffic to be paralleling his route and that Sector Rl5 radar and ROCC had
i ntermittent radar returns in the area of JL1628s observed traffic I notified
the U. S.. Customs office at Anchorage International Airport about the
possibility of a lost aircraft following JL1628 to Anchorage. At 0245 UTC,
Mr . Rollins advised me that JL1628 had lost visual contact with the unknown
traf fic at 0257 UTC. Mr. Rollins advised me that ROCC had lost radar contact
with the unkno~'Il traffic. At 0423 UTC I gave this information to the
Was hington D. C. ROC.
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.