On November 17, 1986, Japan Air Lines Cargo Flight 1628 crew reported that two small craft and then a massive walnut-shaped object shadowed their Boeing 747 for approximately 50 minutes over Alaska; FAA Division Chief John Callahan later testified that CIA officers attended the classified debrief and instructed participants the meeting had never occurred.

Captain Kenji Terauchi estimated the large object was 'twice the size of an aircraft carrier.' The FAA's Alaskan Region confirmed a radar target near the aircraft; Callahan synchronized radar and cockpit audio recordings for the debrief. After the case became public, the FAA retracted its radar confirmation, characterizing the return as instrument clutter.