News Article Unclassified Complete

733667-02-001-0028

National Archives and Records Administration

Released
Published
Added to archive
Jun 16, 2026
Department
National Archives and Records Administration
Original size
1.5 MB
External ID
759d9a6d8bea4c69803d8ba5ba227d7d26a37b9502518ec2f11f3047ffbb63f7
Confidence
85%
Credibility
90%

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Intelligence summary

This document discusses the UFO sighting experienced by Captain Terauchi and his crew during a flight, detailing their observations, the FAA's investigation, and the lack of corroborating evidence.

Tags & topics

AviationFAA InvestigationsPilot ExperiencesUFO sightings Aviation SafetyFAAPilot TestimonyUFO

Extracted timeline

Jun 16, 2026

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Ingestion Date for 733667-02-001-0028

Jun 16, 2026

Document Record Date

Document Record Date for 733667-02-001-0028

Jun 16, 2026

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Update Date for 733667-02-001-0028

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Full document text

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- Terauchi’s draw- Ings of the UFO showod tho twin Beorabe Lis Losey & PISOETTMAHN NEWSPHOTO ‘ ‘* 7 ony Fry ABa: Bets 5 a hia Fivebae Emit ah cylindors (top), and the giant ball dwarfing his 747 {located under rim on right side). explanation, the probe has served only to deepen the mystery. The customary explanations of sup- posed UFO sightings—speciai climatic conditions, refraction or reflection of light from another source—have all been suggested but none seems ap- propriate. What about the radar signals? The Air Force can’t vouch for what Terauchi saw on his weather ra- dar and now attributes its own brief blip to ‘electronic clutter,” possibly a . radar echo. More intriguing is what Terauchi’s crew, copilot Takanori Tamefuji. and flight engineer Yoshio Tsukuda, saw or didn’t see. Both sighted a peculiar light tracking their plane, but:neither wit- nessed the closer encounters with the UFO. The pilot's suggestion that his crew was too busy with flight duties seems curious and, still more perplex- ing, news reports suggest there was minimal] cockpit chatter of the “What- was-that?” variety. The FAA has discounted the possi- bility that Terauchi might have halluci- nated the whole experience due to fa- tigue or the influence of drugs. And no one has accused the crew of taking Il- licit sips from the cargo. Although the crew was not tested, the FAA solemnly reported that “crew members were not influenced by drugs or alcohol.” Ultimately the issue hinges on the credibility of Captain Terauchi, a one- time Japan Air Self Defense fighter jock and a pilot with an impeccable record. No one could suggest a reason why he might want to invent a cocka- mamie yarn and risk professional ridi- cule. Terauchi contends that other pi- lots have seen things in the skies but don't report them because doing so is bad for one’s career. To date the FAA takes the position that while Terauchi is a responsible pi- lot, there is scant evidence to corrobo- rate his strange sighting. But the cap- tain is not done with UFOs. Just last week, flying a similar cargo mission from Europe to Anchorage, he Said it happened again. “Please record this,” he radioed air traffic control excitedly, lapsing partly into Japanese. “Irregular lights, looks like a space ship.” This time there were no unexplained radar: contacts, though Terauchi's cockpit companions (a different crew from flight 1628's) again were uncertain as to what, if anything, had happened. The FAA will investigate. Watch this space. +Written by Dan Chu, reported by Nancy Faber Everybody deserves a chance to make it on their own. Everybody. Success doesn’t come easy In Gur competitive society. It perseverance lo rise to the top. But everybody—regardless of race, ereed, color or sex— deserves a chanee to make it on their own. The National Urban League is dedicated to achiev- ing that. And there are things you can do to help. To find out exactly what you can do in your community, contact your local Urban League or write to our national headquarters. National Urban League 500 East 62nd Street New York, N.Y. 10021 zz Coupe