News Article
Unclassified Complete
733667-02-001-0028
National Archives and Records Administration
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.
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Jun 16, 2026
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Ingestion Date for 733667-02-001-0028
Jun 16, 2026
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Document Record Date for 733667-02-001-0028
Jun 16, 2026
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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
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