A routine cargo flight over the frozen skies of Alaska became one of the most talked-about UFO incidents in aviation history when a veteran Japan Airlines pilot reported seeing a massive unidentified object unlike anything he had encountered before.

Nearly four decades later, the extraordinary sighting continues to fuel debate among researchers, sceptics and UFO enthusiasts, largely because of one detail that sets it apart from many other claims: radar data appeared to support at least part of the crew’s account.

Japan Airlines Cargo Flight 1628
The incident occurred on 17 November 1986 when Japan Airlines Cargo Flight 1628 was travelling from Paris to Tokyo with a stop planned in Anchorage, Alaska. The Boeing 747 was commanded by veteran pilot Captain Kenju Terauchi, who had logged thousands of hours in the cockpit.

According to Terauchi, the encounter began when two unusual rectangular lights appeared near the aircraft. The lights reportedly moved rapidly around the cargo plane and shone bright beams into the cockpit, creating an unsettling experience for the crew.

The captain later claimed the objects seemed to follow the aircraft for several minutes. Just when the crew thought the strange lights had disappeared, an even larger object allegedly emerged.

Terauchi described the craft as enormous, comparing its size to an aircraft carrier. In later sketches, he depicted a walnut-shaped object measuring roughly 1,000 feet across, dwarfing his Boeing 747.

Terauchi claimed the giant craft moved in front of the plane at one stage, partially blocking his view. He later recalled feeling frightened while communicating with air traffic controllers about what he was seeing.

Sketches produced after the incident showed the enormous object looming over the cargo jet. According to descriptions provided by the captain, the UFO appeared large enough to contain multiple aircraft inside it.

While eyewitness reports can sometimes be challenged because of human error or misinterpretation, Terauchi remained consistent in his account. He continued to insist that the crew had witnessed something extraordinary in the skies above Alaska.

The incident quickly attracted attention beyond aviation circles, becoming one of the most famous UFO cases of the modern era.

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