733667-001-003-0027

PHILIP J. KLASS 404 "'N"’ ST. SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON, D.C. 20024 (202) 554-5901 April 8, 1987 ae Mr. Paul Steucke = Public Affairs Officer a FAA Alaskan Region os 701 "C" St., Box 14 Anchorage, Ala. 99513 \qgau J } } \ < _ ~ _- Dear Paul: A \ =) I must again ask you to recheck the question of JAL-1628's flight path on the basis of the following: Your marked flight path shows JAL flying J-529 to Ft. yukon VOR, then J-120 to the Fairbanks VOR, followed by a (roughly) Single 45 deg. turn to the right to Nenana VOR, then J-125 to Talkneetna. This is in conflict with the transcript of pilot-radio communications where two heading changes were requested and both were approved without pilot withdrawing first request. 0223:37 Controller reports JAL is about "40 miles south of Ft. Yukon." 0230:23 JAL asks to change to mag heading of 240. 0230:31 Controller approves change to heading of 240 0234:56 JAL asks to change to mag heading of 210. 0235:02 Approval granted. 1s The foregoing implies that JAL made a right turn of roughly 5/7 deg. (240 - 183) shortly after 0230:31. And that roughly five minutes later, JAL turned 30 deg. to its left, to a heading of 210 deg. Ze Yet your reconstructed flight path shows only a Single right turn of roughly 45 deg. to a heading of roughly 210 deg. 3. Further, at 0235:30, Controller D-15 (communicating with Fairbanks approach control) says that JAL was "about five miles north of Fairbanks VOR." Your reconstructed flight path shows JAL passing directly over the Fairbanks VOR. 4. Your reconstruction shows JAL making its 360-deg. turn over Fairbanks. But approval to make the turn was not given until 0236:47--more than one minute after JAL was reported 5 miles north of Fairbanks--during which time the aircraft would have travelled a distance of roughly 10 miles.