Person
Kenju Terauchi
Also known as Captain Terauchi, Terauchi
- Captain, Japan Air Lines (Boeing 747 cargo flight 1628); about 29 years' flying experience in 1986
Kenju Terauchi was the captain of Japan Air Lines cargo flight 1628, a Boeing 747, with about 29 years' flying experience. On 17 November 1986, flying over Alaska from Iceland to Anchorage, he and his two crew members reported lights that paced the aircraft for many minutes.
He told FAA investigators, through interpreters, that he saw three objects. Two came close in front of the cockpit with bright lights, and a much larger "mothership" was "two times carrier" in size. He made drawings for the FAA, and said he had seen similar lights before, including near Taiwan. Anchorage controllers at first thought they saw a target near his plane. After he spoke to Kyodo News in December 1986, Japan Air Lines grounded him and moved him to a desk job.
The FAA's March 1987 release said it could not confirm the event and attributed the radar target to a split return from the 747 itself. FAA official John Callahan says the data was briefed to the CIA, who declared that the event "never happened".
Sources: FAA record of interview (1987) · FAA Alaskan Region release (March 1987) · Citizen Hearing (2013, Callahan) · Wikipedia
Facts and claims
- claimed Told the FAA, through interpreters, that he saw three unidentified objects, two of which came close in front of the 747 cockpit with bright lights, and a much larger “mothership” he described as “two times carrier” in size. — Kenju Terauchi Source: doc-faa-jal1628-terauchi-interview.pdf
- claimed In the same interview he told the FAA he had seen similar lights before, including a “big mothership” after a night departure near Taiwan. — Kenju Terauchi Source: doc-faa-jal1628-terauchi-interview.pdf
- claimed After speaking to Kyodo News in December 1986, he was grounded by Japan Air Lines and moved to a desk job. Source: en.wikipedia.org (archived)
- documented The FAA's Alaskan Region release of 5 March 1987 said the agency was unable to confirm the event and attributed the second radar target near his 747 to “a split radar return” from the aircraft itself; FAA official John Callahan later said a CIA officer told a briefing that “this event never happened”. Source: documents.theblackvault.com (archived)
- claimed In archive footage he describes his sketch: “This is just a small space ship … This one is the size of the carrier, so a mothership”; a March 1987 news report said his crewmates were not sure they had seen a UFO and noted it was one of four times he had reported UFOs. — Kenju Terauchi Source: JAL 1628 archive compilation: 1987 news report, Nippon TV reconstruction and John Callahan (Eyes On Cinema) at 0:10
Connected files
Claims
- A huge craft of unknown origin paced Japan Airlines flight 1628 over Alaska in November 1986 (asserts)
Documents
People
- John Callahan (case briefed by) — Callahan says the FAA data on the sighting was briefed to the CIA, who declared it “never happened”
Incidents
- Japan Airlines flight 1628 incident (witness)
Videos
- JAL 1628 archive compilation: 1987 news report, Nippon TV reconstruction and John Callahan (Eyes On Cinema) (appears in)