733667-02-001-0008

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AN 29 °87 LM 5 (RMN ees ST ae Ce “ 20:51 FRAWASH Pilot’s UFO sightin called a bright image |of the planet Jupiter NEW YORK (AP) — A Japan Air - Lines pilot who claimed to have seer an unidentitied flying object along- side his airplane last November was ‘ actually seeing an unusually bright image of the planet Jupiter and pos- ably Mars, an investigator said yea: terday. - Philip J, Klass said astronomical calculations shaw that on Nov. 17, when the pilot claimed.to have seen the UFO, Jupiter waa extremely bright and was visible precisely where the pilot reported that he saw. | the UFO. . Mars was just below and to the right of Jupiter, and may explain the | pilot's initial ‘report that he saw two lights, Mr. Klass said. Mr. Klass, an editor with the mag: azine Aviation Week and Space Tech- nology and 3 longdme investigator af claimed UFO sightings, said the pilor'a claims that the object fol- lowed him as he made a 360-degree turn are contradicted by what he told fight controllers at the time. John Leyden, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration in Washington, quoted from = sum- mary of conversations between the pilot and ground controllers in which the pilot reported losing sight of the object after completing his tum. The object reappeared a few mo- ments later, according to the FAA summary quoted by Mr. Leyden. The pilot, Capt. Kenjyu Terauchi. wag over Alaska enroute fram Eu- rope, vie Iceland, to Tokyo when he claims to have sighted the object. Paul Steucke, a spokesman for the FAA in Anchorage, said that Mr. Terauchi told FAA officials in an in- terview that the object stayed with him as he.turned. Mr. Steucke said the FAA would ba releasing the results of its awn inves- tigation in mid-February. According to Mr. Klass, who re- viewed 2 complete copy of the tran- script, the pilot never reported seeing Jupiter or Mara, even though they were cleerly visible. Mr, Klass’ report was issued by the Committee for the Scientific in- } vestigation of Claims of the Paranor- mail in Buffalo, N.Y, an. organization of scientista who investigate claims of UFO sightings, ESP occurrences and other so-called paranormal phe: nomena. : Mr, Klass, who heads the organi- zation’s UFO subcommittee, is the author of “UFOs: The Public De ceived.’ He has been investigating UFO sightings for more than 20 years, “Jupiter was only {0 degrees above the horizon, making it appear to the pilot to be roughly at his own 38,000-foot altitude,’ said Mr Klass in his report. Mars was visible closer to the horizon and to the right of Jupiter, but was not as bright, the report said. “This jg not the first time that an experien pilot has mistaken a bright celestial body for a UFO, nor will it be the last,’ Mr. Klass said. A United Airlines filght and an Air Force C-130 cargo plane thar were in Mr Terauchi’s vicinity at the time of the claimed sighting were ; asked to look for the object, and nei- ; ther reported seeing it, oa “I think that the Japanese pilot should have been @ little more skep- tical when the United airliner and the Air Fores plate reported secing nothing,” Mr, Klass said yesterday. A reported radar “blip” near the Japan Air Lines plane was 4 Spu- rious echo from the mountainous terrain underneath the aircraft, Mr. Klass said. ‘ Mr, Terauchi reported a second UFO sighting in approximately the game ares on Jan, 11. That sighting was explained by FDA officials as village lights bouncing off ice cry- stalg in the atmosphere. : Mr. Terauchi later concaded that that was a reasonable explanation, Mr: Steucke said. Sa ae Sz 1584 P10/27