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Unclassified Complete
733667-001-003-0024
National Archives and Records Administration
Confidence
85%
Credibility
80%
View original document ↗ hosted at the official government source
Intelligence summary
A correspondence from Philip J. Klass discussing the credibility of UFO sightings reported by Captain Terauchi of Japan Airlines, highlighting concerns about multiple sightings by the same individual and questioning the accuracy of flight path information.
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Locations referenced
| Location | Context | Confidence | Supporting text |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anchorage, AK | Publication Location | Unresolved | PHILIP J. KLASS 404 "'N"' ST. SOUTHWEST H “a WASHINGTON, D.C. 20024 ? 1 fd 1p Q7 \ { | (202) 554-5901 RECESY 2 1987 Mr. Paul Steucke Public Affairs Officer Fed. |
Extracted timeline
Jun 15, 1987
Document Date (year hint)
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Jun 16, 2026
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Ingestion Date for 733667-001-003-0024
Jun 16, 2026
Document Record Date
Document Record Date for 733667-001-003-0024
Jun 16, 2026
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Full document text
2,060 characters, transcribed via OCR. Errors reflect the source scan. Compare with the original ↗
PHILIP J. KLASS
404 "'N"' ST. SOUTHWEST
H “a
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20024 ? 1 fd 1p Q7 \ { |
(202) 554-5901
RECESY 2 1987
Mr. Paul Steucke
Public Affairs Officer
Fed. Aviation Admin.
701 "C" St., Box 14
Anchorage, Alaska 99513
Dear Paul:
Your package of JAL-UFO goodies was waiting for me on my
return from a ski vacation with friends in Switzerland, and [I
found it most interesting.
Especially that Capt. Terauchi had two previous UFO sight-
ings, which makes him a "UFO Repeater" and which automatically
makes any of his UFO reports suspect to an experienced UFO
investigator--even many of the "believers".
Multiple UFO sightings (by one person) are sort of like
multiple divorces. One is OK. (Even Jimmy Carter had one which
turned out to be Venus.) Two makes one a bit cautious. But
three or more--as in baseball--you're "out." (And, as we
both know, Terauchi reported two more UFO sightings on Jan. 11,
Giving him a grand total of five--unless he has added to that
figure since Jan. 11.) (And unless JAL has chastened him severe-
ly, I would predict that Terauchi will see many, many more UFOs
in the coming years, while most folks are not privileged to see
even one.)
A guestion: In fTerauchi's own report on the incident
(Submitted to the FAA on Jan.2), he says that his original
flight plan called for him to fly J-529 to Ft. Yukon, then J-125
Via Nenana, and on to Talkeetna.
But Terauchi then says that “Anchorage ordered (authorized)
us to fly direct to Talkeetna." This would seem logical because
of the very light traffic Situation, and the fact that the
JAL~747 was equipped with inertial nav systems and could save a
little fuel by flying direct from Potat.
However, the flight path you shown on your marked-up aero
chart shows the original route via VOR airways.
QUESTION: Which is the correct flight path?
Incidentally, 20+ years experience in investigating UFO
reports has shown that a witness observing one "trigger-mechan-
ism," which disappears, can readily "glob" onto another light
source and believe it to be the same "UFO."