Historical eventNovember 171986

Japan Air Lines Cargo Flight 1628

The flight crew of Japan Airlines Flight 1628 are involved in a UFO sighting incident while flying over Alaska.

40th anniversary in 2026

Everything on November 17Original source

In context

When
Monday, November 17 198640 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
20th century · 1980s
Anniversary
40th in 2026
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

At a glance

Dates: From 1986-11-17.

Type: aviation incident and UFO sighting.

What happened

Japan Air Lines Cargo Flight 1628 was a Japanese Boeing 747-200 cargo aircraft flying from Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport to Narita International Airport that was involved in an unidentified flying object (UFO) sighting on 17 November 1986. During the flight, Captain Kenji Terauchi reported seeing three objects he described as "two small ships and the mothership". Both the FAA and Air Force confirmed that the unidentified flying objects appeared on their radars.

November 17 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1986Japan Air Lines Cargo Flight 1628
  2. 1997Luxor
  3. 1997Luxor massacre
  4. 2000Alberto Fujimori
  5. 2000Landslide
  6. 2003Arnold Schwarzenegger
  7. 2009University of East Anglia
  8. 2012Manfalut train–bus collision
  9. 2013Tatarstan Airlines Flight 363
  10. 2013Tornado outbreak of November 17, 2013
  11. 2019COVID-19

Also in 1986

  • September 131986 Kalamata earthquakeA magnitude 6.0 earthquake strikes Kalamata, Greece with a maximum Modified Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme), killing at least 20 and ca…
  • September 5Pan Am Flight 73Pan Am Flight 73 from Mumbai, India with 358 people on board is hijacked at Karachi International Airport.
  • October 20Aeroflot Flight 6502Aeroflot Flight 6502 crashed on approach to Kurumoch Airport in Samara, Russia (then Kuybyshev in the Soviet Union), killing 70 people on…
  • May 25Hands Across AmericaThe Hands Across America event takes place.
  • June 14Mindbender (Galaxyland)The Mindbender derails, killing three riders and severely injuring one at the Fantasyland (known today as Galaxyland) indoor amusement pa…
  • November 5USS RentzUSS Rentz, USS Reeves and USS Oldendorf visit Qingdao, China; the first US naval visit to China since 1949.
  • July 9New Zealand ParliamentThe New Zealand Parliament passes the Homosexual Law Reform Act legalising homosexuality in New Zealand.
  • January 18AerovíasAn Aerovías Sud Aviation Caravelle crashes on approach to Mundo Maya International Airport in Flores, Petén, Guatemala, killing all 94 pe…

Everything we record for 1986 →

Sources

Cite this page

“Japan Air Lines Cargo Flight 1628”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/japan-air-lines-cargo-flight-1628-1986-november-17, accessed October 27, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did Japan Air Lines Cargo Flight 1628 happen?

November 17 1986 — 40 years ago, on a Monday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

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