733667-001-030

z 0 I , '.:ODE , 2 '.)-" T<:: 11129187 4 . CATEGORY [XJ AIR CARRIER-TY PE DA IR T A X I D GENERAL A VIATION 0 COMMUTER D OTHER 1. AIRFRAME . : J '° V E • l J CJ i · I I I 1840AST 'i• 5 . DAY O F WEEK Th11rc;rl 01v 16. COORDINATES I I 63.20N 157.30W AIRCRAFT INCIDENT RECORD 7 . LOC.O. T ION (Ciry and SrJre 1 60 miles west of ~!cGrath AK 8 . •'-' E-'IRE5T FIX IRudialundU1sra11ce1 MCG 272°160 miles MAK N'/ADEL , ,..'.)T A L Hou~ MANEl:.rvA.~oDEL / T O TAL Hors MAKE/MODEL / I / Boeing 737 SERIAL N0.1\fal/uncrio11i11,·J / j ~ i SERIAL '\Ju. (\fal/11nc nv/11ng1 / REGISTRATION NO. AIRCRAFT IV? 1 2 / ' J i ~ N743AS CCMS I~' 3 / i ~13 / ~ f-A-IR_W_O_R_T_H_l_N_E_S_S_C_L_A....__SS-------1 UJN. Ts 0 7\fa//1111 Ollln>;• '1· ~ 1' T s.o. (\fci/f1111yrv111n~1 ..... Standard / HOURS 1. 2. ! M -~. 2. ____ _ TOTAL TIME I / NI A 1.-5.' 4 . . 4 . T.S.0 . NIA 1. N AME AND ADDRESS Alaska Airlines Seattle, Washington 6 . AIR CARRIER OPERATING CERT/Fl · CATE NO. I AUTi-iO R I ZED OPERATIONS UNDER FAR I PAR T S . I UJ <.::I < :::::!: < a 2. FLIGHT NO. A S #53 3. U NDER FAR I 121 · 1. PERSONS INVOL VED I PASSENGERS i FLIGHT CREW \CABIN CREW GROUN D CREW ./ I : I ' : ' CAB 29BC FILE D ~NO NIA 2. PERSONSl3. MINOR 4 . SERIOUS 5. FATAL ABOARD INJGRY INJURY lf\lJUR Y I 17 I 0 0 0 2 I ' ' 2 ! I I 0 0 I 0 I i I ! 0 0 ' 0 ! I NIA /8. TYPE OF FLYING I X NC\i!: PERSONA;_ I 3USIN ESS I S\.JSST.O.:\iTiAL j EX!:ClJTIVt COR? ! INSTRL•.:T:ON DESTROY\OD I I ! i>.EAIAL .O.PPL/;.;.O.TION i o RC;;,=: ri T .,_ c1_ . ..i._·_·' -"'_':;_=-+---+'- 1 '\J_· D_u_s T_"_1.:i.._ '_-_s_?_E_c_:_"'_L-t I UNKNOW•\J I "EARY 0 0 0 I 0 I a . z 01--------+------1-----+-------+--------i < ; TEST 7. PHASE OF OPERATION i----4------------4 FOREST FIRE > a: ~ ..., z PUBLIC/OTHER TOTALS HANDICAPPED EVACUATION INJURIES , 9 . PART NAME/NO. 0 0 2I -' 0 0 0 0 0 ti /A 0 0 1 GROUND PARACHUTE TAXI AIR SHG W 0 0 TAKEOFF X PASSENGE R CLIMB CARGO 0 0 X LEVEL FLIGHT PASSENGER.'CARGO DESCENT I tviA/L >----+------~~---t--1-----------11 0 0 APPROACH i OTHER LANDING j UNK.NOWN j1NAMENIA 16. ~ ID CONTROLLED D UNCONTROLLED 0 . REMARKS o.. wi-------.-------.--------....----------< a: < 2. RUNWAY 3 . F IELD N UMBER ELEVATION 4 . RUNWAY LENGTH 1. SOURCE 3. SKY CON-5. VISIBILITY DITION RESTRICTION a: w l: Pilot Clear none 5 . SURFACE CONDI- TION 7 . D .P. B. WIND UNK UNK .... ·1-------1-------+--------+----.L..----~ <t LL 2. T IME 4. VISIBILITY 6. TEMP. 9. ALTIMETER w 3: 1835AST Unlimited -38° Annr'lx 29 . 92 FAA Form 8020-5 (4-ao> suPERSEDEs PREv1ous ED1T10N 10. REMARKS / us. Deparimefrt d TroospcnatlOll Federal Av1atton Adn'Wilstratton Subject: INFO™ATION: Transcription concerning the incident involving Alaska Airlines 53 on January 30, 1987 From Bcbby J. Lamkin To: Air Traffic Service Evaluator Alaskan Region emor~f .j\..J~' 1 J Date: Reply to Attn ot FEB 9 1987 'Ibis transcription covers the tirre period from January 30, 1987, 0336 tJIC to January 30, 1987, 0349 tJIC. Agencies Making Transmissions Anchorage Air Route Traffic Control Center Alaska Airlines Flight 53 Abbreviation ZAN AS53 I HEREBY CERTIFY that the following is a true transcription of the recorded conversations pertaining to the subject aircraft incident. ATS Evaluator Title (0336) (0337) (0338) 0339:29 AS53 Center fifty-three / 0339:30 ZAN Alaska fifty-three--go ahead 0339:33 AS53 Any traffic in this ah area do you headed towards Anchorage 0339:36 ZAN Ah I have one caning outbound fran Anchorage towards McGrath at this tirre--its a piper navajo at twelve thousand and ah--! have a same direction Ryan Air beech zero t'NO estimating over McGrath zero four zero eight at t"'10 five zero other than that I don't have any other airplanes 0339:52 AS53 Okay we're just curious up at about our altitude ah headed that direction-thanks--you haven't had any uro reports lately-l'uh 0340:10 ZAN Well I was just getting ready to ask you about that ah could you tell me ah the position of that aircraft 0340:15 AS53 *(Ahead) just underneath our radar pickup up a blip he's m:>ving about a mile a second just pulled right away (unintelligible) shot at him rut ah--*(man) he was there and then he was gone 0340:26 ZAN Alaska fifty-three roger and ah---ah did you have any visual sighting with that aircraft or anything like that 0340:32 AS53 Negative we just pickup up on radar the ah traffic and ah just watched it just pulls out straight ahead of us and just just disappear in a natter of seconds 0340:41 ZAN Alaska fifty-three roger stan:lby please 0344:31 AS53 .Anchorage Alaska fifty-three McGrath 0344:34 ZAN Alaska fifty-three go ahead 0344:36 AS53 Fifty-three McGrath at zero three four four level three five zero--Anchorage zero four one four landing 0344:45 ZAN Alaska fifty-three roger contact Anchorage Center one one eight point two six zero DME southeast of McGrath--and I just checked on this we don't have military as active there / shouldn't be any any military aircraft over we're ah not talking too at this tirre operating in ~r vicinity ah have you shown any else on radar since that last ah contact 0345:03 AS53 Ah no sir 0345:06 ZAN Alaska fifty-three will see you next time good day 0345 :08 AS53 (unintelligible) (0346) (0347) (0348) (0349) End of Transcript *'Ibis portion of the recording is not entirely clear, rut this represents ·· the best interpretation possible under the ci~cumstances. --- - -- I Fedelal AMatton AdnWtlls11atlw1 Alaskan Region FS00-63 4510 W. Int'l. Airport ~oad, Suite 302 Anchoraae, Alaslt.a 99502-1088 STATEMENT OF INTERVIEW WITH ALASKA AIRLINES CREW January 29, 1987 at 1930 AST At approximately 1900 on January 29, 1987, I received a call from Anchorage Center Manager, stating that Alaska Airlines Flight No. 53 had reported to Anchorage Center that it had seen a target on their weather radar and asked if the Center had any other aircraft operating in the area. I informed the ARTCC Manager that I would interview the crew at Anchorage International Airport. I interviewed the crew at Alaska Airlines Operations on January 29, 1987 at approximately 1930 AST. The crew stated that they had departed Nome, Alaska at 1800 enroute to Anchorge. The incident happened approximately 60 miles west of McGrath, Alaska. The aircraft was operating on a heading of East at an altitude of 35,000 feet and an airspeed of Mach .73. The weather was clear and the visibility was unlimited. At approximately 1835 AST the crew noticed a return on the weather radar at their 12 o'clock position and at a range of 25 miles. Both pilots stated that the target was strong and bright. They both looked outside and could not see any lights or targets. Looking back at the radar the target had moved approximately 5 miles further ahead of them to approximately 30 miles. Each sweep of the radar (approximately 1 second) the target would move 5 miles further ahead of them until it went off the radar scope at 50 miles. The captain stated that since the military was having "war games" in the area that it was probably a USAF Aircraft going at a very high rate of speed. He then called Anchorage Center and asked the controller if there was any reported aircraft in the area and reported what he had seen. The area is not within radar coverage of the Anchorage ARTCC. The controller on duty checked with the USAF (Alaska Air Command) and was told the they dld not have aircraft operating in that area at that time. J .· PERSONNEL S~ATEMENT FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION Anchorage Air Route Traffic Control Center February 3, 1987 The following is a report concerning the incident involving Alaska Airlines Flight 53 (AS53) at approximately 40W MCG on January, 30 1987 at 0340 UTC. My name is Briggs N. Willoughby (BW). I am employed as the Assistant Manager of Automation by the Federal Aviation Administration at the Anchorage Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC), Anchorage, Alaska. I have reviewed recorded radar data covering the time and location of the reported incident. I found nothing to indicate that an aircraft performing as reported was present. Automatic Ancnorage <- .• J us. Department of Transportation Federal Avtatton Administration FOR IH1£DIATE RELEASE February 6, 1987 <REVISED fEB.21,1987)• (186-06 ( 187-09) News: Office of Public Atfall's Alaskan Reoion 7 01 C Street. Box 14 Anchoraoe. Alaska 995 13 (907) 27 1-5296 CONTACT: PAUL STEUCKE U11Ctoffl IRAFEIC SIGHTED BY ALASKA AIRLINES CREW ON QNOOARD WEATHER RADAR The Alaska Airlines flight crew of a Boeing 737 aircraft, flight #53, enroute from Nome to Anchorage, Alaska, on January 29, 1987, reported to the FAA Anchorage Air Route Traffic Control Center, the sighting of unidentified air traffic on their onboard weather radar system. The incident occured at about 6:39 pm, 60 miles west of the community of McGrath, which is approximately 200 miles northwest of Anchorage. The aircraft was flying at 35,000 feet altitude at night, the weather was clear. Both pilots noticed the target on their weather radar scope and looked to see if there was any "traffic" in front of them. At no time did either crewmember see anything outside the aircraft. The Captain asked the FAA air traffic contoller in Anchorage if there was "any traffic in this-ah-area, do you---headed towards Anchorage?". The FAA controllers at the air route control center in Anchorage reported a piper navajo at twelve thousand outbound from Anchorage towards McGrath, and a Beech estimated to be over McGrath at 4:04 pm, but nothing else. The Alaska Airlines Captain responded, "Okay, we're just curious. Up at about our altitude (35,000) ah •• headed that direction--thanks--••• You haven"t h ad any UFO reports lately ••• huh?". The controller responded, ''Well I was just getting ready to ask you about that ••• ah ••• could you tell me ••• ah ••• the position of that aircraft." The area is not within radar coverage of the FAA air route traffic control center . Control of aircraft in the area is done by the center with the use of radio contact. The controller on duty checked with the USAF, Alaskan Air Corrmand, and was told that they did not have military aircraft operating in that area at that time. more ••• J -2-ALASKA AIRLINES RADAR SIGHTING, JAN.29, 1987. The flight crew reported that the target on their radar moved at a very high rate of speed, approximately 5 miles on each sweep of the radar (5 MILES PER SECOND). As the target moved off their radar they changed the range of their radar from 50 miles to 100 miles and saw the target briefly before it becarTE lost in the ground clutter created by the Alaska Range of mountains. The flight crew was interviewed by FAA inspectors when they landed at Anchorage. Material developed as a result of this investigation will be released on or about March 5, 1987, in Anchorage, Alaska. IJ II * Release updated due to additional available material from inquiry. J