The Japan Airlines Flight 1628 UFO encounter is one of the most well-known and intriguing UFO sightings in aviation history. On November 17, 1986, a Japan Airlines cargo flight en route from Paris to Tokyo encountered a mysterious object that defied explanation. The incident has since been extensively studied and analyzed, but remains a subject of debate and controversy among skeptics and UFO enthusiasts alike.

Japan Airlines Flight 1628 was a Boeing 747 cargo plane, piloted by Captain Kenju Terauchi, First Officer Takanori Tamefuji, and Flight Engineer Yoshio Tsukuba. The flight was carrying a cargo of French wine and was en route to Tokyo via Anchorage, Alaska. At around 5:09 PM local time, while flying over eastern Alaska, the crew spotted a strange, bright object in the sky ahead of them.

At first, the crew thought the object was a military aircraft or a missile, but as it got closer, they realized it was something entirely different. The object was described as being disc-shaped and larger than a commercial aircraft, with a dome-shaped top and pulsating lights. The crew estimated its size to be about the length of two aircraft carriers. They reported that it was moving in a peculiar way, making sudden, erratic movements that defied the laws of physics.

The crew immediately contacted Anchorage Air Traffic Control and requested permission to change course and altitude to avoid a collision with the object. The request was granted, and the crew began maneuvering the plane to avoid the object, which continued to follow them for several minutes. During this time, the object emitted a bright light that illuminated the cockpit and caused Terauchi to suffer temporary blindness.

After a few minutes, the object suddenly disappeared from view, and the crew continued on their journey. The incident was reported to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and an investigation was launched.

The FAA and NTSB launched an extensive investigation into the incident, interviewing the crew and analyzing the flight data recorder and radar records. They also consulted with various experts, including astronomers and military officials, to try and determine the cause of the sighting.

The investigation concluded that the crew had observed a genuine unidentified flying object (UFO), but that it could not be explained by any known natural or man-made phenomenon. The report stated that "the UFO was well-structured, and of such magnitude as to be unlike anything the pilots had ever seen. They were not able to correlate it with any known astronomical phenomenon and the behavior of the object was such that it was not possible to associate it with any known aircraft or guided missile."

The Japan Airlines Flight 1628 incident has been the subject of intense debate and controversy since it occurred. Some skeptics have suggested that the crew may have misidentified natural phenomena such as the planet Venus or a meteor, while others have speculated that the sighting may have been a military experiment.

On the other hand, many UFO enthusiasts point to the credibility of the crew, who were experienced pilots with no prior history of reporting UFO sightings. They also point to the detailed and consistent nature of the crew's report, as well as the fact that the sighting was corroborated by ground radar records.

The Japan Airlines Flight 1628 incident remains one of the most intriguing and controversial UFO sightings in aviation history. While the incident has not been definitively explained, it continues to captivate and intrigue both skeptics and believers alike. Whether it was a genuine encounter with extraterrestrial beings or a misidentification of natural phenomena, the Japan Airlines Flight 1628 incident remains a significant and fascinating chapter in the history of UFO sightings.

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"The Japan Airlines Flight 1628 Incident: The Definitive Guide" by Alejandro Rojas. Open Minds, November 16, 2011. https://www.openminds.tv/the-japan-airlines-flight-1628-incident-the-definitive-guide/9697

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