Japan Air Lines Flight 1628 Full Incident 1986

On November 17, 1986, Japan Air Lines Flight 1628 — a Boeing 747 cargo aircraft commanded by Captain Kenjyu Terauchi — encountered multiple unidentified objects during a 50-minute incident over northeastern Alaska. The encounter began with two smaller craft that flanked the aircraft, followed by an enormous walnut-shaped object described as larger than two aircraft carriers side by side. The Anchorage ARTCC confirmed radar contacts, and USAF Elmendorf Regional Operations Center tracked the objects. FAA Administrator Enrique Castillo Rincon personally ordered a full investigation — the only time in FAA history an administrator has done so for a UAP incident. Captain Terauchi, a 29-year veteran with an impeccable record, maintained his account despite temporary reassignment to ground duties. The FAA investigation confirmed anomalous radar returns. The case became one of the most thoroughly documented aviation UAP encounters in history and is cited as the precursor to current FAA UAP reporting protocols.