Case file · Sighting
Japan Air Lines 1628
A JAL cargo pilot and radar tracked huge objects over Alaska; the FAA investigated.
1986 CE · 61.00, -150.00 · status: unexplained
The researched reading
A veteran crew and an FAA inquiry make this a serious case, but the radar evidence dissolved on analysis and the planets fit some of what was seen. A substantial unknown share remains for the visual part.
| Explanation | Weight | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Something known, misidentified | 40% | Philip Klass argued the crew saw Jupiter and Mars low on the horizon; the FAA radar specialist found the returns were split primary/beacon echoes of the plane itself, a known artefact. |
| Genuinely anomalous | 25% | An experienced crew watched lights for nearly an hour and ground radar briefly showed something; Bruce Maccabee argued the planets could not explain it all. |
| Perception, memory or mind | 12% | Captain Terauchi had prior interest in UFOs and drew increasingly elaborate objects; his account grew with retelling. |
| A known natural phenomenon | 8% | Ice crystals and moonlit cloud over Alaska can produce odd reflections and glints from the aircraft’s own lights. |
| A poorly understood natural phenomenon | 5% | An auroral or atmospheric luminous effect is possible but unmeasured. |
| Undetermined | 5% | The share a generic explanation had beyond what has been shown for this case: it fits many cases like this one, but has not been demonstrated for this one. |
| Secret human technology | 3% | No secret aircraft could pace a 747 for 50 minutes unseen by military radar. |
| A hoax or fabrication | 2% | The FAA radar tapes and three crew rule out staging. |
Official position: The FAA investigated and concluded it could not confirm anything; its radar analysis found the returns were technical artefacts.