UFO Potpourri No 314

Magazine Overview

Title: UFO POTPOURRI
Issue: no. 314
Date: March 12, 1987
Publisher: JOHN F. SCHUESSLER
Country: USA
Language: English

This issue of UFO POTPOURRI, dated March 12, 1987, focuses on two significant UFO incidents: a sighting over the Arctic Circle by the crew of a Japan Air Lines (JAL) cargo jet and an encounter witnessed in Zimbabwe. The magazine presents information from various sources, including wire service reports (UPI, dpa) and newspaper articles (The Wall Street Journal, Seattle Times).

Crew Claims UFO Followed Plane Across the Arctic Circle

The lead story, originating from Anchorage, Alaska (UPI), details a claim by the three-man crew of a Japan Air Lines cargo jet, Flight 1628, that a mysterious UFO with bright flashing white and yellow lights followed them across the Arctic Circle en route from Reykjavik, Iceland, to Tokyo. The crew radioed air traffic controllers in Anchorage, reporting the UFO flying in formation with their Boeing 747. The controller in charge reportedly picked up the second unknown object on his radar screen. However, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) spokesman Paul Steucke stated that electronically recorded radar data showed no second object, and the FAA could not reconcile the difference. The Air Force also briefly reported seeing a second object on radar, but Alaska Air Command Captain Robert Morris suggested it might have been "random clutter or weather interference."

The incident, which occurred on November 17, 1986, involved the JAL flight that had left Reykjavik, flying over the North Pole to Tokyo with a stop in Anchorage. Following the sighting, the crew was interviewed by FAA security manager Jim Derry at Anchorage International Airport. According to the FAA's account, the lights appeared about a mile from the plane as it crossed the Arctic Circle, approximately 30 miles southeast of Fort Yukon.

The Split-Radar Returns Did It (Wall Street Journal)

A related article from The Wall Street Journal by Ken Wells reports that publishers selling paperback mysteries might envy the FAA's Anchorage regional office for offering a "pricey mystery" for $194.30 – an unbound collection of reports on the JAL sighting. The FAA had sold 50 complete packages and received about 300 orders for portions. These included a $50 cassette recording of the conversation between flight controllers and the JAL crew and a $56 set of glossy color photos of radar readouts. The prices were based on reproduction costs.

Despite the FAA's conclusion in a separate, cost-free report that the sighting could not be substantiated, its technical experts in Atlantic City, N.J., suggested that the blips on the radar screen were "split-radar returns" – shadows of the plane's primary echo. This conclusion was bolstered by a report from a United Airlines pilot who, at the request of Anchorage flight controllers, flew near the path of the JAL jet at the time of the mysterious radar readings but saw no other aircraft.

The FAA investigated because an aircraft might have ventured unreported into the airspace of the JAL cargo carrier. The agency was as mystified by the demand for its costly documents as some people were by the sighting itself. The testimony of JAL pilot Kenju Terauchi, who reported the sighting, likely contributed to sales. He told the FAA that he had been followed by two strands of lights, pulsating with amber glows, and a huge craft that appeared to be a "mother ship." He later described the large UFO as the "size of two battleships" and made by "a very high technology and intelligence."

FAA Says UFO on Radar Screen Was Just a Double Image of Jet (United Press International)

Another report from United Press International states that Federal investigators, after reviewing radar tapes, failed to show a UFO shadowing the JAL cargo jet, contradicting earlier reports. The FAA's examination of the tapes showed what appeared to be a second object, but investigators now believe it was a double image from the Boeing 747. FAA spokesman Paul Steucke confirmed this, noting that the Anchorage Air Route Traffic Control Center had directed the crew to take evasive maneuvers, including a 4,000-foot drop and a 360-degree turn.

Co-pilot Takanori Tamefuji reiterated that he saw lights, and Steucke noted that the co-pilot's testimony supported the pilot's. The FAA is satisfied with the double-image explanation but is continuing with its review. Steucke defended the controller's response, stating that when a pilot reports seeing something, the controller cannot take risks, even if it might be a double image. The radar image seen in the JAL cockpit and by the controller also appeared intermittently on Air Force radar, which spokesmen dismissed as "random clutter."

Air Force Head Admits Proof of UFO

This section reports that the Air Force chief of Zimbabwe, Air Commodore David Thorne, admitted to having "rock-solid proof" that his men spotted and tracked a UFO. This admission came after an exhaustive two-year investigation by aeronautical experts. Dozens of people witnessed a round object topped by a cone streak over southern Zimbabwe, according to a report in a magazine.

Thorne stated, "We have not been able to identify the object. We have had to classify it as a UFO." He estimated that the UFO was traveling at "twice the speed of sound." After the sighting, air traffic controllers tracked the object on radar. Two air force jets were sent after the object, and the pilots described it as "incredibly shiny, reflecting the colors of the sunset." As night fell, the team tracking the UFO realized it was giving off its own light.

German Report on Arctic UFO

A brief report in German (from Braunschweiger Zeitung, 2.87) details the JAL sighting over Alaska. It mentions that the UFO was allegedly pursuing a Japanese cargo machine. The incident, which occurred on November 17, is partially confirmed by the US FAA and the Air Force. Captain Kenju Terauchi (47) described the UFO as a huge, walnut-shaped object, twice the size of an aircraft carrier, accompanied by two smaller objects. The illuminated object flew parallel to the Jumbo Jet, and the pilot requested permission to take evasive action. Terauchi speculated that the UFO was extraterrestrial due to its speed and maneuverability. The FAA control reported that the object accompanied the JAL Flight 1628 for at least 32 minutes, approaching within five miles. Terauchi humorously suggested the UFO might have been after the Beaujolais wine onboard.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring theme in this issue is the official investigation and reporting of UFO sightings, highlighting the tension between eyewitness accounts and official explanations. The magazine presents multiple perspectives, including those of the witnesses, air traffic controllers, and government agencies (FAA, Air Force). The editorial stance appears to be one of presenting these accounts and investigations, leaving the reader to ponder the mysteries. The inclusion of a German report suggests an international interest in these phenomena. The magazine also touches upon the commercialization of UFO information, as seen with the FAA selling its investigation materials.