733667-001-003-0038

OTHER

AI Summary

This document is a letter from Paul Steucke of the FAA to Dr. Richard F. Haines regarding the JAL 1628 flight incident and related radar data. It discusses the availability of radar tapes and data, and invites Dr. Haines to visit the Anchorage Air Route Traffic Control Center.

Key Findings

- The original radar tape of JAL flight 1628 is stored securely and not readily available for review. - The FAA does not typically retain radar tapes after investigations, but this one will be kept for the foreseeable future. - There was no radar coverage in the area of the Alaska Airlines report on January 29, 1987. - A radar computer printout for JAL 1628 is enclosed, showing uncorrelated returns. - An invitation is extended to Dr. Haines to visit the Anchorage Air Route Traffic Control Center.

OCR Text

@ US Department Alaskan Region 701 C Street, Box 14 of Transportation Anchorage, Alaska Federal Aviation 99513 Administration March 18, 1987 Dr. Richard F. Haines Research Consultant 325 Langton Avenue Los Altos, CA 94022 Dear Dr. Haines: Steve Hayes, Assistant Administrator for Public Affairs in our Washington, D.C. office has forwarded your letter of February 16, 1987, to me for reply. Most of the material you requested in your letter, ie JAL 1628 voice transcripts, etc. have been sent and you should have received the material by now. This also includes our file on the Alaska Airlines report which occurred on January 29, 1987. The original recorded radar tape of JAL flight 1628, November 17, 1986, is kept in a secure vault at our Air Route Traffic Control Center in Anchorage. I don't know if the FAA Technical research center in Atlantic City has a copy or not. Normally we do not keep these tapes after an investigation or inquiry has been completed, however we do plan on keeping this one into the foreseeable future. There was no radar coverage in the area of the Alaska Airlines report. You mentioned visiting the FAA office in D.C. with the intent of reviewing the radar tape. This, aS you now realize, is not possible as they do not have the tape. The only place that this tape can be replayed in live time is at the FAA Technical Center in Atlantic City, N.J. No one else has the equipment. The Anchorage Center can put it back up on a screen by hand typing the computer codes from the radar tape. This is a laborious, time consuming task that no one is anxious or interested in doing again. There are two related items however which might be helpful. 1). Enclosed is a copy of the radar computer printout for the JAL 1628 flight. You may have already received a copy. This printout sets forth the radar data returns in chronological order. This is very important if one is to make legitimate comparisons of the radar returns. It clearly shows the uncorrelated returns and the fact that the data was not returning to the Center at the same time. This accounts for the uncorrelated target returns and the distance between them (as the aircraft continued to move). The second item 2). is an invitation to you to visit the Anchorage Air Route Traffic Control Center and watch the same radar system (out of Fairbanks) as it tracks aircraft. I did this a few weeks ago when I was out there, and it produces the same kind of uncorrelated target returns. Hope we get to meet sometime. Best regards. _—_— 2? V eae Paul Steucke

Metadata

Agency
—
Classification
UNCLASSIFIED
Department
National Archives and Records Administration
Confidence85
Credibility90

NARA Source

NAID
733667
File
733667-001-003-0038.jpg
Type
image/jpeg

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733667-001-003-0038 · UFOIntel