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NARRATOR: Alaska --
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a vast, remote wilderness
twice the size of Texas...
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ENOCH: There are dangerous,
unpredictable
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forces at work here.
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NARRATOR:
...in one of the most mysterious
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corners of the globe.
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A lot of things can kill you
out here without even trying.
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NARRATOR: This is a place
hundreds of times more deadly
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than the Bermuda Triangle.
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MAN: Oh, my God.
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Stories of alien abductions...
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I believe it was a UFO.
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NARRATOR: ...the paranormal,
vanishing airplanes,
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and strange beasts...
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The Alaskan Bigfoot --
he can rip you in half.
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These accounts
are really widespread.
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[Bleep] It peeked out
of the tree right there.
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NARRATOR: ...have haunted
those who dare set foot here.
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In the last 30 years,
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16,000 people have disappeared
without a trace.
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MAN #2: More people
have disappeared
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than the Bermuda Triangle --
two to three times the amount.
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NARRATOR: Witnesses tell us
their shocking stories...
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[ Growling ]I was petrified.
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NARRATOR: ...and we've gathered
some of the world's
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leading experts
in their field...
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I'm always after
scientific evidence
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that can be
independently corroborated.
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NARRATOR:
...to try and unlock the mystery
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of the Alaska Triangle.
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♪♪
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Alaska.
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Thousands of people
have mysteriously vanished here.
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Is something otherworldly
causing these disappearances?
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♪♪
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ENOCH:
When we look at the Triangle,
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the presence we find of UFOs
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is a sign
that something very strange
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could be happening there.
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GOUGH:
Could UFOs be the cause
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of the many
unexplained events in Alaska?
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♪♪
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NARRATOR:
In the last 60 years,
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over 9,000 planes
have mysteriously crashed here,
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but one near miss in 1986
between a 747 and a UFO
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the size of an aircraft carrier
made aviation history.
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ENOCH: This is one
of the most important
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and well-documented cases
of a UFO sighting in the world.
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DERRY: These people believed
what they were seeing.
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They saw something that
scared them very, very badly.
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RAY:
This happened over Alaska,
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but what makes this
even more interesting,
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that it happened
over the Alaska Triangle.
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♪♪
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NARRATOR:
The Triangle is a hot spot
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for extraterrestrial activity.
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Since the early 1950s,
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top-secret
U.S.-government documents
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have revealed UFO sightings
across Alaska.
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In some reports, military planes
have even been stalked by UFOs
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mid-flight.
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Journalist Andrew Gough has been
investigating this phenomenon.
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There really are a few places
on Earth as isolated as Alaska,
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so one can only infer that,
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if there was
extraterrestrial activity,
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if there were UFOs,
why wouldn't they go there?
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NARRATOR: As reports of
unidentified flying objects
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continued into the 1980s,
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U.S. Air Force bases
across Alaska
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upgraded their radar systems.
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America's
Cold War enemy, Russia,
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then called the USSR, was just
56 miles from its doorstep.
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The U.S. government understands
the strategic importance
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of the location of Alaska,
and as a result,
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it has beefed up the Air Force
bases in that region.
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This area is a highly
surveyed region.
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NARRATOR: But 1986 would see
an invasion of Alaskan airspace
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that many believe came
from neither Russia
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nor any other enemy
on this planet.
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Japan Airlines flight 1628
would have a strange encounter
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with a UFO that would trouble
the U.S. government
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for many years to come.
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On November 7th, the 747 cargo
plane with no passengers
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on board
entered the Alaska Triangle,
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90 miles north of Fort Yukon
at 5:05 p.m.
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It was en route
from Paris to Tokyo.
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Veteran U.S. Air Force
pilot Dan Hampton
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has retraced
the jet's fateful encounter
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with an unidentified
flying object.
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This is the cargo version
of Japan Airlines' 747.
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Here in the cockpit would have
been the first officer,
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and here was
Captain Kenju Terauchi,
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a 10,000 flight-hour veteran
of the Air Force,
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ex-fighter pilot.
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NARRATOR: Captain Terauchi
had 20 years' experience
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as a commercial airline pilot,
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but as flight 1628 flew deeper
into the Triangle,
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he would witness something
never before seen.
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At 5:11 p.m., the captain
looks off to the left,
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and about 2,000 feet below him
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are what he thinks
are military aircraft
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because who else would be up
here with him at 35,000 feet?
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NARRATOR: So Captain Terauchi
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radioed Anchorage air
traffic control at 5:19 p.m.
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What follows is the actual
recording of communication
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from the cockpit.
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Soon, air traffic control
picked up a high-speed object
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tracking the 747.
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Jim Derry was an investigator
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for the Federal Aviation
Authority at the time.
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At first, they weren't
too frightened
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when they saw the lights.
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They thought it was
another aircraft,
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but our air traffic control
people contacted the military.
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NARRATOR: A controller radioed
the regional command center
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at the nearby U.S.
Air Force base, Elmendorf,
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to see if the mysterious
aircraft belonged to them.
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The military had nothing
in that sector.
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NARRATOR: Unable to identify
these unknown aircraft,
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the air traffic controllers
were troubled.
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Could this be an incursion
from Cold War-foe Russia
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or something more sinister?
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Our big concern was, when you
have something at 35,000 feet
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that's not under
air traffic control,
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it is a major safety hazard.
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NARRATOR:
But what happened next
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suggested these certainly
weren't Soviet,
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and they were
no ordinary planes.
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They were about to perform
a gravity-defying maneuver.
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Something impossible happens.
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♪♪
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These two things instantly
jumped from 2,000 feet below
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to shooting forward
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to a position
in front of the aircraft.
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Jets can move
quite quickly, of course,
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but there's nothing
that can do that.
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GOUGH: The objects exhibited,
according to Captain Terauchi,
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a complete disregard
to the limits of gravity.
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It would start.
It would stop.
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It would accelerate.
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Can you imagine what
that must have been like?
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You've never seen anything
like that in your life.
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♪♪
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NARRATOR:
UFO investigator James Fox
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believes these were
extraterrestrial.
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UFOs have the ability to appear
in one spot
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and literally blink out
and appear in another location.
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Conventional aircraft
don't do that.
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This was a bona fide
UFO encounter
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that was documented on radar
and had visual confirmation.
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NARRATOR:
Now just 500 feet ahead,
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the unidentified aircraft
started closing in on the 747.
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Captain Terauchi was terrified
of a midair collision.
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HAMPTON: The captain is saying
these lights
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are unlike anything
he's ever seen before.
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No wings or real fuselage
in the conventional sense
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that we would think of,
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and he still can't identify
what these things are.
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NARRATOR: The unidentified
flying objects
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continued to close in.
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The lights become so bright.
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They fill up the cockpit,
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and then the aircraft
began to shake.
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If this is an otherworldly type
of flying object,
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then these could quite possibly
be some types of scan,
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maybe infrared,
heat-based initially
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and then ultrasonics
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could account
for the aircraft shaking.
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GOUGH: So incredible was this
encounter that the captain said
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he could feel the heat on his
face from the craft next to him.
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HAMPTON:
And at that point, of course,
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he's very, very concerned
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because what is this thing
or things,
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and why are they so close
to his aircraft?
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NARRATOR: Then the UFOs
mysteriously disappeared.
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With the calm of the Alaskan
night skies around him,
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Captain Terauchi and his crew
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assumed this terrifying
UFO encounter was over,
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but the Triangle had something
even more petrifying in store.
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♪♪
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[ Ice cracking ]
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[ Ice cracking ]
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♪♪
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NARRATOR:
The Alaska Triangle,
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a place that's infamous
for the strange and paranormal.
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♪♪
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The Triangle also has many
reports of UFOs
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stalking the Alaskan skies.
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MAN #2:
Ah, what is that?
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ENOCH: We find this incredible
amount of UFO sightings,
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which really makes us
ask the question,
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"Is there something
going on here
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which defies conventional
explanations?"
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NARRATOR: One of the most
well-documented UFO cases
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in aviation history
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took place near Fort Yukon
in the north of the Triangle.
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Japan Airlines flight 1628
was en route to Tokyo
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when it was stalked
by gravity-defying aircraft.
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♪♪
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The evidence was seen on radar
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by Anchorage air
traffic control.
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♪♪
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HAMPTON: They're so fast.
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They disappear off
into the sunset.
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Only when they come back,
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they are flying in formation
alongside of a third object.
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NARRATOR:
Captain Terauchi and his crew
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said they watched in terror
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as another huge UFO approached
their 747,
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its size and scale left
the seasoned pilot awestruck.
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What came back was
the mother ship
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the size of an aircraft carrier,
only walnut-shaped.
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It could only have been a UFO.
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8 to 10 times
as big as his aircraft
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in height and width,
and he is astonished.
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NARRATOR:
Anchorage air traffic control
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alerted the nearby U.S.
Air Force base Elmendorf.
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00:12:03,034 --> 00:12:05,724
Amazingly, they, too,
had picked up
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00:12:05,724 --> 00:12:09,241
the hostile
unidentified aircraft on radar.
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DERRY: It was a large aircraft
of some kind,
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00:12:18,551 --> 00:12:20,758
and the radar dots
that were picked up,
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it moved very rapidly.
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And the military people said,
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00:12:25,275 --> 00:12:27,827
"We checked out
our primary target
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00:12:27,827 --> 00:12:29,034
with another piece
of equipment
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00:12:29,034 --> 00:12:33,034
we have here,
and it also detected it."
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00:12:33,034 --> 00:12:34,931
The fact that
it's correlated now
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00:12:34,931 --> 00:12:39,103
between not only a civilian
control agency on the ground
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00:12:39,103 --> 00:12:43,000
but the regional operations
center at Elmendorf to me
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means this is something
we have to take very seriously.
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NARRATOR: Air traffic control
were so concerned,
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00:12:49,000 --> 00:12:51,655
they hatched
a plan of emergency.
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00:12:51,655 --> 00:12:55,206
In a rare move,
they advised the 747
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00:12:55,206 --> 00:12:57,241
to make a drastic maneuver.
235
00:13:08,172 --> 00:13:11,172
Remember, a 747
is not a fighter jet.
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00:13:11,172 --> 00:13:13,379
It takes about 5 minutes
at that altitude
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00:13:13,379 --> 00:13:17,275
and airspeed
to turn a 747 360 degrees,
238
00:13:17,275 --> 00:13:18,827
and you're talking about
trying to get away
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00:13:18,827 --> 00:13:21,344
from unidentified objects
that have been bouncing back
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00:13:21,344 --> 00:13:23,655
and forth
between the horizon and you.
241
00:13:23,655 --> 00:13:26,103
So he really doesn't have any
type of evasive
242
00:13:26,103 --> 00:13:29,034
or escape maneuver.
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00:13:29,034 --> 00:13:30,724
NARRATOR:
With few options left,
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00:13:30,724 --> 00:13:34,965
flight 1628 descended
to 31,000 feet
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00:13:34,965 --> 00:13:38,103
and started its 360-degree turn.
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00:13:38,103 --> 00:13:43,689
♪♪
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The UFOs continued
the stalk the airliner.
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00:13:54,172 --> 00:13:57,172
Air traffic control
had one last choice --
249
00:13:57,172 --> 00:13:58,724
military action.
250
00:14:07,275 --> 00:14:09,206
HAMPTON:
The air traffic control says,
251
00:14:09,206 --> 00:14:10,586
"Would you like our military
252
00:14:10,586 --> 00:14:12,793
to send some fighter jets
up to have a look?"
253
00:14:12,793 --> 00:14:14,931
And he says, "Negative.
Negative,"
254
00:14:14,931 --> 00:14:16,344
not just once but twice.
255
00:14:16,344 --> 00:14:18,172
He's very emphatic about this.
256
00:14:18,172 --> 00:14:20,379
NARRATOR: The captain refused
a fighter jet
257
00:14:20,379 --> 00:14:23,793
because he feared it could
provoke a hostile response
258
00:14:23,793 --> 00:14:25,620
as it's believed happened
259
00:14:25,620 --> 00:14:28,620
in the infamous
Mantell Incident of 1948.
260
00:14:28,620 --> 00:14:32,793
♪♪
261
00:14:32,793 --> 00:14:36,517
That year, National Guard
pilot Thomas Mantell
262
00:14:36,517 --> 00:14:41,241
was sent in hot pursuit
of a UFO seen at 10,000 feet
263
00:14:41,241 --> 00:14:43,413
over a Kentucky air base.
264
00:14:43,413 --> 00:14:49,241
Thomas Mantell was chasing a UFO
when his plane just dismantled
265
00:14:49,241 --> 00:14:52,827
and fell violently to the Earth
and to his death.
266
00:14:54,344 --> 00:14:58,724
Conspiracy theorists believe
that the evidence points
267
00:14:58,724 --> 00:15:01,793
to the nuts
and bolts of his plane
268
00:15:01,793 --> 00:15:06,689
being undone somehow by
the UFO technology alongside it,
269
00:15:06,689 --> 00:15:09,655
and that's why
he plummeted to his death.
270
00:15:09,655 --> 00:15:11,793
The captain knew
about this incident,
271
00:15:11,793 --> 00:15:13,724
so he had
the wherewithal to say,
272
00:15:13,724 --> 00:15:15,103
"I'm not gonna
have that again.
273
00:15:15,103 --> 00:15:18,517
I'm better off just dealing
with this by myself."
274
00:15:18,517 --> 00:15:20,758
Whatever these things
are haven't hurt him yet,
275
00:15:20,758 --> 00:15:24,172
and he doesn't want to run the
risk of that or provoking them.
276
00:15:24,172 --> 00:15:28,896
It must have been a very,
very nerve-racking situation.
277
00:15:28,896 --> 00:15:32,586
NARRATOR: When Captain Terauchi
refused military assistance,
278
00:15:32,586 --> 00:15:35,724
air traffic control
radioed a civilian jet
279
00:15:35,724 --> 00:15:39,137
flying just south
of Fairbanks.
280
00:15:39,137 --> 00:15:42,310
They asked United Airlines
flight 69
281
00:15:42,310 --> 00:15:46,482
to approach the Japanese 747
and investigate.
282
00:15:56,344 --> 00:16:05,448
♪♪
283
00:16:05,448 --> 00:16:08,551
But the UFO disappeared
off the radar
284
00:16:08,551 --> 00:16:11,413
as the United Airlines pilot
closed in.
285
00:16:13,862 --> 00:16:15,137
HAMPTON:
He gets close enough.
286
00:16:15,137 --> 00:16:17,517
He asked the JAL flight
to turn on its lights.
287
00:16:17,517 --> 00:16:21,448
The United captain sees
the JAL flight but nothing else,
288
00:16:21,448 --> 00:16:23,517
so whatever it was
that was following
289
00:16:23,517 --> 00:16:26,206
the JAL flight has vanished
by that point.
290
00:16:26,206 --> 00:16:29,655
NARRATOR:
After 42 long minutes,
291
00:16:29,655 --> 00:16:34,896
Captain Terauchi's reported UFO
encounter was finally over.
292
00:16:34,896 --> 00:16:37,517
One of the most significant
UFO incidents
293
00:16:37,517 --> 00:16:42,655
ever in the Alaska Triangle
was now on record
294
00:16:42,655 --> 00:16:45,413
and witnessed
by air traffic controllers,
295
00:16:45,413 --> 00:16:50,000
military radar and three
professional crew members.
296
00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:54,000
Flight 1628 was requested
to land at Anchorage.
297
00:16:54,000 --> 00:16:58,620
There U.S. government agencies
were set to swoop in,
298
00:16:58,620 --> 00:17:01,827
and all records
of this UFO incident
299
00:17:01,827 --> 00:17:04,137
were to mysteriously disappear.
300
00:17:04,137 --> 00:17:08,275
♪♪
301
00:17:08,275 --> 00:17:10,517
[ Ice cracking ]
302
00:17:16,551 --> 00:17:18,965
[ Ice cracking ]
303
00:17:18,965 --> 00:17:24,379
♪♪
304
00:17:24,379 --> 00:17:30,413
NARRATOR: On November 7, 1986,
Japan Airlines flight 1628
305
00:17:30,413 --> 00:17:33,379
entered the mysterious
Alaska Triangle.
306
00:17:35,448 --> 00:17:41,379
Suddenly it was intercepted
by unidentified flying objects.
307
00:17:41,379 --> 00:17:44,758
GOUGH: Whatever happened
to Japan Airlines 1628,
308
00:17:44,758 --> 00:17:49,827
it is now the most documented
and thus most famous
309
00:17:49,827 --> 00:17:55,517
UFO incident
in modern aviation history.
310
00:17:55,517 --> 00:17:59,965
This UFO incident is probably
one of the most credible cases
311
00:17:59,965 --> 00:18:01,655
in the history of ufology.
312
00:18:03,862 --> 00:18:07,000
NARRATOR: But there were many
outstanding questions.
313
00:18:07,000 --> 00:18:08,689
Why would alien life-forms
314
00:18:08,689 --> 00:18:12,551
want to target
a commercial cargo plane?
315
00:18:12,551 --> 00:18:16,724
Even if it's believed these UFOs
were extraterrestrial,
316
00:18:16,724 --> 00:18:19,482
they may not have had
malevolent intent
317
00:18:19,482 --> 00:18:22,862
according to researcher
Jonny Enoch.
318
00:18:22,862 --> 00:18:25,896
There's all kinds of reasons
why they could have been there.
319
00:18:25,896 --> 00:18:28,551
The plane itself could
have been in danger.
320
00:18:28,551 --> 00:18:31,896
They could have been stopping it
from entering a portal,
321
00:18:31,896 --> 00:18:33,206
but my guess is,
322
00:18:33,206 --> 00:18:35,758
it would have been
some sort of scientific work,
323
00:18:35,758 --> 00:18:38,758
some sort of scientific analysis
they were doing.
324
00:18:40,517 --> 00:18:42,862
NARRATOR: Whatever the reason
for the encounter,
325
00:18:42,862 --> 00:18:46,000
when flight 1628 landed
in Anchorage,
326
00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:49,620
investigators were keen
to talk to the crew.
327
00:18:49,620 --> 00:18:54,344
Federal Aviation Authority agent
Jim Derry was asked to attend.
328
00:18:56,413 --> 00:18:59,655
I got a call from our operations
center saying,
329
00:18:59,655 --> 00:19:03,206
"We've had some
strange incidence
330
00:19:03,206 --> 00:19:05,413
with an aircraft
coming in over the poles."
331
00:19:05,413 --> 00:19:09,965
So this made us
pretty interested.
332
00:19:09,965 --> 00:19:14,689
My first thought was that
we had a Russian intruder.
333
00:19:14,689 --> 00:19:16,344
During that period
in the late '80s,
334
00:19:16,344 --> 00:19:18,379
while the Cold War
was still going on,
335
00:19:18,379 --> 00:19:20,103
Russians would come over
and would intrude,
336
00:19:20,103 --> 00:19:24,965
but the military usually sensed
it right away and responded.
337
00:19:24,965 --> 00:19:27,724
But the military detected
no one out in that area,
338
00:19:27,724 --> 00:19:30,379
so we were doubly interested.
339
00:19:32,413 --> 00:19:33,793
NARRATOR:
At Anchorage airport,
340
00:19:33,793 --> 00:19:36,068
Jim Derry
met Captain Terauchi
341
00:19:36,068 --> 00:19:41,793
and his crew within hours
of their reported UFO encounter.
342
00:19:41,793 --> 00:19:43,517
I found it interesting
when I shook hands
343
00:19:43,517 --> 00:19:47,689
when I met them,
their palms were very sweaty.
344
00:19:47,689 --> 00:19:49,689
Pupils were very dilated.
345
00:19:49,689 --> 00:19:54,172
They saw something that
scared them very, very badly.
346
00:19:54,172 --> 00:19:56,586
These people believed
what they were saying.
347
00:19:56,586 --> 00:19:58,310
They were very sincere,
348
00:19:58,310 --> 00:20:02,034
and they were very,
very believable.
349
00:20:02,034 --> 00:20:03,827
NARRATOR:
But when Captain Terauchi
350
00:20:03,827 --> 00:20:05,068
described the mother ship
351
00:20:05,068 --> 00:20:07,413
and sketched it
for investigators,
352
00:20:07,413 --> 00:20:09,482
they were shocked
by what they saw.
353
00:20:09,482 --> 00:20:12,310
♪♪
354
00:20:12,310 --> 00:20:17,482
This is the captain's
original drawing of the UFO.
355
00:20:17,482 --> 00:20:19,275
What I've got here on the screen
are the drawings
356
00:20:19,275 --> 00:20:21,241
by the Japan Airlines captain,
357
00:20:21,241 --> 00:20:24,551
and the size of this object
blew everybody's mind.
358
00:20:24,551 --> 00:20:28,000
He's putting his aircraft here
in proportion
359
00:20:28,000 --> 00:20:29,931
to the size
of the overall object,
360
00:20:29,931 --> 00:20:34,482
which as he said, it looked
like a flying aircraft carrier.
361
00:20:34,482 --> 00:20:37,034
This is like comparing a 747
362
00:20:37,034 --> 00:20:40,931
to a 6,000 passenger
cruise ship in size --
363
00:20:40,931 --> 00:20:42,379
massive.
364
00:20:42,379 --> 00:20:45,724
There's nothing that size
that flies that we know of.
365
00:20:45,724 --> 00:20:47,620
The other investigator
and I rolled our eyes
366
00:20:47,620 --> 00:20:49,517
at the time
when we saw the sketches
367
00:20:49,517 --> 00:20:52,000
because it seemed
really way-out,
368
00:20:52,000 --> 00:20:54,206
but after we saw
that it showed up on radar,
369
00:20:54,206 --> 00:20:56,517
we weren't quite
as skeptical about it.
370
00:20:59,000 --> 00:21:03,034
NARRATOR:
This is the original radar data.
371
00:21:03,034 --> 00:21:08,241
These lines show the flight
path of JAL 1628,
372
00:21:08,241 --> 00:21:11,896
then the UFO appears on screen.
373
00:21:11,896 --> 00:21:15,000
♪♪
374
00:21:15,000 --> 00:21:19,034
It comes and goes
as it tracks the 747
375
00:21:19,034 --> 00:21:21,758
at over 500 miles per hour
376
00:21:21,758 --> 00:21:25,862
before it mysteriously
vanishes altogether.
377
00:21:25,862 --> 00:21:31,068
No known aircraft can perform
such maneuvers.
378
00:21:31,068 --> 00:21:34,862
Soon this data was sent to
the Federal Aviation Authority
379
00:21:34,862 --> 00:21:37,103
headquarters in Washington.
380
00:21:37,103 --> 00:21:40,137
A senior investigator,
John Callahan,
381
00:21:40,137 --> 00:21:43,586
would prepare a file
about the case for the CIA,
382
00:21:43,586 --> 00:21:46,931
but the file would be buried
in what some believe
383
00:21:46,931 --> 00:21:49,965
was the start of
a major government cover-up.
384
00:21:49,965 --> 00:21:51,931
[ Ice cracking ]
385
00:21:57,793 --> 00:22:00,172
[ Ice cracking ]
386
00:22:00,172 --> 00:22:05,344
♪♪
387
00:22:05,344 --> 00:22:07,896
NARRATOR:
On November 7, 1986,
388
00:22:07,896 --> 00:22:12,241
one of the most infamous UFO
encounters occurred in Alaska.
389
00:22:12,241 --> 00:22:15,896
♪♪
390
00:22:15,896 --> 00:22:19,103
Once safely on the ground
at Anchorage airport,
391
00:22:19,103 --> 00:22:22,551
the case of flight 1628
was investigated
392
00:22:22,551 --> 00:22:25,620
by the Federal
Aviation Authority.
393
00:22:25,620 --> 00:22:29,172
This is a remarkable case
because this isn't
394
00:22:29,172 --> 00:22:33,068
some reported sighting
in some backcountry area,
395
00:22:33,068 --> 00:22:35,379
where someone could be
making something up.
396
00:22:35,379 --> 00:22:39,344
These are professional,
career-focused pilots
397
00:22:39,344 --> 00:22:42,310
that are telling us that
they had a sighting in the sky
398
00:22:42,310 --> 00:22:44,896
and it startled them.
399
00:22:44,896 --> 00:22:48,586
NARRATOR: The FAA's senior
investigator, John Callahan,
400
00:22:48,586 --> 00:22:55,172
prepared a file on flight 1628's
near-miss with the UFO.
401
00:22:55,172 --> 00:22:59,206
He then briefed the FAA
about his shocking conclusions.
402
00:23:01,103 --> 00:23:05,034
John Callahan was blown away
by the amount of data
403
00:23:05,034 --> 00:23:08,206
that they actually had,
UFO data, not just seconds,
404
00:23:08,206 --> 00:23:11,586
over 30 minutes of data
to comb through, radar data,
405
00:23:11,586 --> 00:23:13,827
coupled with the voice
cockpit recordings.
406
00:23:19,655 --> 00:23:21,586
If you listen
to the cockpit recordings,
407
00:23:21,586 --> 00:23:23,689
you'll hear Captain Terauchi
408
00:23:23,689 --> 00:23:27,379
extremely concerned
about what he's looking at.
409
00:23:27,379 --> 00:23:31,241
He's looking at something 5,
6 times bigger than a 747,
410
00:23:31,241 --> 00:23:33,137
and he's unable
to identify this thing.
411
00:23:33,137 --> 00:23:34,620
And you can hear it
in his voice.
412
00:23:34,620 --> 00:23:36,206
The guy is freaking out.
413
00:23:41,758 --> 00:23:44,965
John Callahan did not believe
in UFO encounters
414
00:23:44,965 --> 00:23:46,586
prior to this incident.
415
00:23:46,586 --> 00:23:50,344
And after reviewing the evidence
was convinced that UFOs existed.
416
00:23:52,793 --> 00:23:55,172
NARRATOR:
An urgent meeting was convened
417
00:23:55,172 --> 00:23:56,724
with the CIA the next day,
418
00:23:56,724 --> 00:24:00,517
where John Callahan presented
his disturbing findings.
419
00:24:02,275 --> 00:24:03,551
FOX: They reviewed
the evidence.
420
00:24:03,551 --> 00:24:06,034
The reviewed the cockpit
recording tapes,
421
00:24:06,034 --> 00:24:07,931
and they were all silenced
422
00:24:07,931 --> 00:24:12,137
and told that this matter
was classified top secret
423
00:24:12,137 --> 00:24:14,896
and not to ever speak
about the incident.
424
00:24:14,896 --> 00:24:16,241
DERRY: John Callahan said that
425
00:24:16,241 --> 00:24:18,172
when they briefed it
at the national level,
426
00:24:18,172 --> 00:24:21,241
there was a person from
the intelligence community
427
00:24:21,241 --> 00:24:23,241
there who collected
all the paperwork afterward,
428
00:24:23,241 --> 00:24:26,241
said, "This is classified."
429
00:24:26,241 --> 00:24:29,448
RAY: The CIA official said,
"We're going to confiscate
430
00:24:29,448 --> 00:24:31,172
all the radar data
that you guys have,"
431
00:24:31,172 --> 00:24:34,620
and told him, "I was never here.
432
00:24:34,620 --> 00:24:37,344
This meeting never took place."
433
00:24:37,344 --> 00:24:39,482
NARRATOR:
But word did get out.
434
00:24:39,482 --> 00:24:42,793
Captain Terauchi told his story
to reporters
435
00:24:42,793 --> 00:24:46,827
and re-created his initial
sketches for the world's media
436
00:24:46,827 --> 00:24:48,758
as seen in this photo.
437
00:24:50,862 --> 00:24:53,482
Under pressure
of the media spotlight,
438
00:24:53,482 --> 00:24:55,241
the Federal Aviation Authority
439
00:24:55,241 --> 00:24:58,620
went public four months
after the event.
440
00:24:58,620 --> 00:25:00,517
ENOCH:
The FAA held a press conference
441
00:25:00,517 --> 00:25:05,620
denying that there was proof of
any unidentified flying objects
442
00:25:05,620 --> 00:25:08,206
that were captured using radar.
443
00:25:08,206 --> 00:25:09,965
They attributed this
to an illusion
444
00:25:09,965 --> 00:25:13,137
called a split radar image.
445
00:25:13,137 --> 00:25:15,172
NARRATOR:
The Federal Aviation Authority
446
00:25:15,172 --> 00:25:20,689
claimed the blip seen
tracking flight 1628 was no UFO,
447
00:25:20,689 --> 00:25:25,275
but a shadow created
by the Japanese airliner itself.
448
00:25:25,275 --> 00:25:28,344
Former FAA investigator
Jim Derry
449
00:25:28,344 --> 00:25:31,000
questions this explanation.
450
00:25:31,000 --> 00:25:34,689
The FAA even produced a rather
elongated report
451
00:25:34,689 --> 00:25:37,172
telling how this kind of
shadowing takes place,
452
00:25:37,172 --> 00:25:40,862
but any radar specialist
that I have talked to before
453
00:25:40,862 --> 00:25:45,827
or since denies that that was
any kind of a radar shadow.
454
00:25:45,827 --> 00:25:48,862
NARRATOR:
So how has flight 1628 become
455
00:25:48,862 --> 00:25:51,000
one of the most
well-documented cases
456
00:25:51,000 --> 00:25:54,655
of a UFO incident
in U.S. history?
457
00:25:54,655 --> 00:26:00,275
It's thanks to John Callahan,
who, in 2001, went public
458
00:26:00,275 --> 00:26:03,103
with the cockpit recordings
and radar data,
459
00:26:03,103 --> 00:26:06,482
contradicting
the FAA's statement.
460
00:26:06,482 --> 00:26:09,793
FOX: He had made copies
of the cockpit recordings,
461
00:26:09,793 --> 00:26:12,068
of the radar confirmation.
462
00:26:12,068 --> 00:26:16,344
Every bit of investigation
that took place with the FAA,
463
00:26:16,344 --> 00:26:19,137
John Callahan had kept copies
at his desk
464
00:26:19,137 --> 00:26:21,413
because they tried to cover
this incident up.
465
00:26:21,413 --> 00:26:23,241
So if it wasn't
for John Callahan,
466
00:26:23,241 --> 00:26:27,206
no one would probably know about
the details of this incident.
467
00:26:27,206 --> 00:26:28,931
NARRATOR:
As a result of the publicity,
468
00:26:28,931 --> 00:26:31,517
Japan Airlines
grounded Captain Terauchi
469
00:26:31,517 --> 00:26:34,965
for two years,
but pilot Dan Hampton believes
470
00:26:34,965 --> 00:26:39,379
the evidence revealed later
by John Callahan vindicates him.
471
00:26:39,379 --> 00:26:43,206
As a pilot, I am always
skeptical of non-pilots,
472
00:26:43,206 --> 00:26:47,413
even other pilots, that say
they've seen something strange,
473
00:26:47,413 --> 00:26:48,896
but Captain Terauchi
474
00:26:48,896 --> 00:26:51,862
is a professional
commercial-airline pilot.
475
00:26:51,862 --> 00:26:53,655
He's an ex-military aviator
476
00:26:53,655 --> 00:26:56,482
with over 10,000 hours
of flying time,
477
00:26:56,482 --> 00:27:00,827
and he knew very well that
by saying anything about this,
478
00:27:00,827 --> 00:27:02,620
it would impact his career.
479
00:27:02,620 --> 00:27:06,103
And it did, but I have to say,
in all honesty after
480
00:27:06,103 --> 00:27:08,724
looking at all the evidence,
reading the transcripts
481
00:27:08,724 --> 00:27:13,206
and analyzing it from my
standpoint, I believe him.
482
00:27:13,206 --> 00:27:18,275
♪♪
483
00:27:18,275 --> 00:27:23,206
NARRATOR: Flight 1628 also
opened Jim Derry's eyes
484
00:27:23,206 --> 00:27:27,758
to the many reports of UFOs
in the skies above Alaska.
485
00:27:29,379 --> 00:27:32,517
I haven't seen any UFOs,
but I have interviewed people,
486
00:27:32,517 --> 00:27:36,482
a lot of people, who have seen
them, to include many pilots.
487
00:27:36,482 --> 00:27:38,551
Considering the size
of the universe,
488
00:27:38,551 --> 00:27:40,896
for us to think that we are
the only life-form
489
00:27:40,896 --> 00:27:44,344
out there is
extremely egotistical of us.
490
00:27:44,344 --> 00:27:46,758
We don't know what's out there.
491
00:27:46,758 --> 00:27:49,862
NARRATOR: Indeed.
What else is out there?
492
00:27:52,206 --> 00:27:55,241
Are there other mysteries
waiting to be discovered?
493
00:27:57,310 --> 00:28:00,517
And what might the U.S.
government know about them?
494
00:28:02,724 --> 00:28:06,793
The JAL incident had a lasting
impact on all involved,
495
00:28:06,793 --> 00:28:09,862
and no one more so
than Captain Terauchi.
496
00:28:09,862 --> 00:28:15,241
Now in retirement, he's
withdrawn from the public eye.
497
00:28:15,241 --> 00:28:17,275
But in the skies
of the Triangle,
498
00:28:17,275 --> 00:28:22,000
it's not only UFOs that have
caused panic and confusion.
499
00:28:22,000 --> 00:28:25,517
There have been reports
of a giant flying creature
500
00:28:25,517 --> 00:28:28,862
big enough to prey upon moose
and even whales.
501
00:28:28,862 --> 00:28:30,137
[ Bird squawks ]
502
00:28:30,137 --> 00:28:32,517
Can such a creature
really exist?
503
00:28:32,517 --> 00:28:37,068
Could a monstrous bird be behind
the numerous disappearances
504
00:28:37,068 --> 00:28:39,620
of the Alaska Triangle?
505
00:28:39,620 --> 00:28:41,724
[ Ice cracking ]
506
00:28:47,758 --> 00:28:50,206
[ Ice cracking ]
507
00:28:50,206 --> 00:28:55,103
♪♪
508
00:28:55,103 --> 00:28:57,724
NARRATOR: If there's one place
on the planet
509
00:28:57,724 --> 00:29:00,068
where strange
and mysterious creatures
510
00:29:00,068 --> 00:29:01,793
could exist under the radar,
511
00:29:01,793 --> 00:29:05,724
it could only be
in the Alaska Triangle.
512
00:29:05,724 --> 00:29:09,275
Here native legends
tell of terrifying beasts
513
00:29:09,275 --> 00:29:13,068
that roam the lands
and stalk the skies.
514
00:29:13,068 --> 00:29:17,758
The most frightening of all --
the giant thunderbird.
515
00:29:17,758 --> 00:29:20,620
Thunderbirds are reported to
be really huge raptors,
516
00:29:20,620 --> 00:29:22,862
much bigger than the 7,
8-foot wingspan
517
00:29:22,862 --> 00:29:24,310
of a Steller's sea eagle,
518
00:29:24,310 --> 00:29:27,827
more approximating
the wingspan of a small plane.
519
00:29:27,827 --> 00:29:30,137
NARRATOR: But there have been
reports of this gigantic
520
00:29:30,137 --> 00:29:33,793
flying predator
right up to present day.
521
00:29:33,793 --> 00:29:35,551
I was just flabbergasted
by its wingspan.
522
00:29:35,551 --> 00:29:37,379
It was so huge.
523
00:29:37,379 --> 00:29:40,206
A human would have been like
a midday snack.
524
00:29:40,206 --> 00:29:41,862
[ Bird squawks ]
525
00:29:41,862 --> 00:29:49,931
♪♪
526
00:29:49,931 --> 00:29:53,206
NARRATOR: In Alaska, the legends
of the giant thunderbird
527
00:29:53,206 --> 00:29:57,137
have been passed down
through the generations.
528
00:29:57,137 --> 00:30:00,103
Qituvituaq Litchard is
a native shaman
529
00:30:00,103 --> 00:30:04,517
who was brought up on stories
of this fearsome creature.
530
00:30:04,517 --> 00:30:07,793
Thunderbirds have always been
a part of our native history.
531
00:30:07,793 --> 00:30:11,793
Stories of them go back as far
back as native stories go back,
532
00:30:11,793 --> 00:30:14,758
and they've always been
a terrifying presence
533
00:30:14,758 --> 00:30:16,275
to native people.
534
00:30:16,275 --> 00:30:19,275
NARRATOR: Terrifying
because of their massive size
535
00:30:19,275 --> 00:30:21,379
and unimaginable strength.
536
00:30:21,379 --> 00:30:24,034
Elders warn their children
to keep safe
537
00:30:24,034 --> 00:30:25,551
from this flying beast
538
00:30:25,551 --> 00:30:28,862
for fear of being
plucked away from their parents.
539
00:30:28,862 --> 00:30:31,793
They are known to hunt
everything from moose,
540
00:30:31,793 --> 00:30:34,241
caribou to beluga whales.
541
00:30:34,241 --> 00:30:36,172
Beluga get up to 3,000 pounds,
542
00:30:36,172 --> 00:30:38,413
and they're able to lift
a full-grown beluga.
543
00:30:38,413 --> 00:30:40,551
So you've got to think,
"How big do these birds
544
00:30:40,551 --> 00:30:43,275
have to be in order
to lift that much weight?"
545
00:30:43,275 --> 00:30:46,620
♪♪
546
00:30:46,620 --> 00:30:48,448
People were terrified
of the thunderbird
547
00:30:48,448 --> 00:30:51,241
because it would swoop
down and kill people.
548
00:30:51,241 --> 00:30:53,172
People were so terrified
of it, in fact,
549
00:30:53,172 --> 00:30:54,724
that we wouldn't even
attempt to hunt them.
550
00:30:54,724 --> 00:30:57,517
We didn't want to have anything
to do with the thunderbird.
551
00:30:57,517 --> 00:30:59,137
NARRATOR:
But for the Tlingit people,
552
00:30:59,137 --> 00:31:02,275
who inhabit the southeast
of the Alaska Triangle,
553
00:31:02,275 --> 00:31:06,344
the thunderbird is much more
than a mere physical creature.
554
00:31:06,344 --> 00:31:11,034
Anna Brown Ehlers is a fellow of
their national heritage center.
555
00:31:11,034 --> 00:31:12,310
The giant thunderbird
556
00:31:12,310 --> 00:31:16,068
has always been a part
of our native folklore.
557
00:31:16,068 --> 00:31:18,068
It is a spiritual being.
558
00:31:18,068 --> 00:31:22,965
It has thunderous wings
and can control the weather,
559
00:31:22,965 --> 00:31:27,137
causing rainstorms and floods.
560
00:31:27,137 --> 00:31:30,034
NARRATOR: Anna is a weaver
of traditional blankets.
561
00:31:30,034 --> 00:31:32,758
These carry the legends
of her ancestors,
562
00:31:32,758 --> 00:31:35,758
and the thunderbird
is a common motif.
563
00:31:35,758 --> 00:31:38,793
BROWN ELHERS:
It's sacred to our society.
564
00:31:38,793 --> 00:31:43,310
When we are wearing it
on our blankets,
565
00:31:43,310 --> 00:31:46,034
or if it's in our totem poles,
566
00:31:46,034 --> 00:31:49,620
it is a depiction
of a powerful being.
567
00:31:51,517 --> 00:31:53,344
NARRATOR:
But stories of the thunderbird
568
00:31:53,344 --> 00:31:56,655
aren't confined to native
Alaskan legends.
569
00:31:56,655 --> 00:31:58,172
In modern times,
570
00:31:58,172 --> 00:32:01,413
there have been numerous
sightings of the airborne beast.
571
00:32:03,068 --> 00:32:07,482
In June 2005, Charles Gaines
was on a road trip
572
00:32:07,482 --> 00:32:09,379
close to the Canadian border
573
00:32:09,379 --> 00:32:12,379
in the southeastern corner
of the Alaska Triangle.
574
00:32:14,517 --> 00:32:16,241
On his way back north,
575
00:32:16,241 --> 00:32:18,551
Charles was looking
out the window.
576
00:32:18,551 --> 00:32:20,793
[ Bird squawks ]
577
00:32:20,793 --> 00:32:24,620
I saw a giant bird down
in the valley
578
00:32:24,620 --> 00:32:29,068
that had a wingspan what
I estimated to be 20 to 25 feet.
579
00:32:29,068 --> 00:32:30,793
[ Bird squawks ]
580
00:32:30,793 --> 00:32:35,206
Well, the minute I saw the bird,
I knew what it was.
581
00:32:35,206 --> 00:32:37,103
I knew that I was seeing
the thunderbird
582
00:32:37,103 --> 00:32:38,862
that I'd been reading about
583
00:32:38,862 --> 00:32:41,206
and hearing about,
and I was excited.
584
00:32:41,206 --> 00:32:44,241
I was glad that I had gotten
a chance to see it.
585
00:32:44,241 --> 00:32:46,172
NARRATOR: Charles could tell
that the trees
586
00:32:46,172 --> 00:32:50,172
on either side of the bird
were about 40 feet apart,
587
00:32:50,172 --> 00:32:51,724
and on both sides,
588
00:32:51,724 --> 00:32:56,310
each wing was less than 10 feet
from these same trees.
589
00:32:56,310 --> 00:32:58,103
So did the math.
590
00:32:58,103 --> 00:33:01,448
Figured it had 20-,
25-foot wingspan.
591
00:33:01,448 --> 00:33:04,000
NARRATOR: At this size,
the bird would be twice
592
00:33:04,000 --> 00:33:06,448
as big
as the California condor,
593
00:33:06,448 --> 00:33:09,620
the largest known bird
in North America.
594
00:33:11,344 --> 00:33:14,413
Charles was the only witness
to this sighting,
595
00:33:14,413 --> 00:33:19,344
but there have been credible
reports with multiple witnesses.
596
00:33:19,344 --> 00:33:24,000
In 2002, near Dillingham
in the west of the Triangle,
597
00:33:24,000 --> 00:33:27,034
the pilot and passengers
of a local airplane
598
00:33:27,034 --> 00:33:32,068
came close to a huge bird
flying at around 1,000 feet.
599
00:33:32,068 --> 00:33:33,793
Researcher Hugh Newman
600
00:33:33,793 --> 00:33:36,379
has been investigating
the press reports.
601
00:33:36,379 --> 00:33:39,517
NEWMAN: A remarkable eyewitness
account of a thunderbird
602
00:33:39,517 --> 00:33:40,724
was reported,
603
00:33:40,724 --> 00:33:42,034
and they witnessed
something they believed
604
00:33:42,034 --> 00:33:44,379
to be the same size
as their plane,
605
00:33:44,379 --> 00:33:48,000
some kind of massive,
unknown flying creature.
606
00:33:50,275 --> 00:33:53,413
NARRATOR: The plane had
a wingspan of 35 feet,
607
00:33:53,413 --> 00:33:58,241
making this creature larger
than any bird on the planet.
608
00:33:58,241 --> 00:34:02,068
Cryptozoologist Lance Hightower
has also been investigating
609
00:34:02,068 --> 00:34:04,068
these reports
of a thunderbird
610
00:34:04,068 --> 00:34:06,448
and found that a villager
on the ground
611
00:34:06,448 --> 00:34:08,310
corroborated the sighting.
612
00:34:08,310 --> 00:34:09,724
It was huge.
It was massive.
613
00:34:09,724 --> 00:34:11,655
It was the size
of a small plane.
614
00:34:11,655 --> 00:34:13,620
Well, it bothered him
so much
615
00:34:13,620 --> 00:34:16,655
that he radioed
the next town over,
616
00:34:16,655 --> 00:34:20,068
and he contacted
the local authorities,
617
00:34:20,068 --> 00:34:22,586
who then told people
to stay indoors,
618
00:34:22,586 --> 00:34:24,965
especially the children.
619
00:34:24,965 --> 00:34:28,586
This is remarkable and one of
the most interesting sightings
620
00:34:28,586 --> 00:34:30,965
ever witnessed in Alaska.
621
00:34:30,965 --> 00:34:32,827
HIGHTOWER: All these people,
these eyewitnesses,
622
00:34:32,827 --> 00:34:35,862
they all can't be wrong.
623
00:34:35,862 --> 00:34:37,344
NARRATOR:
Since this sighting,
624
00:34:37,344 --> 00:34:39,517
there has been
no official report
625
00:34:39,517 --> 00:34:43,655
from any pilot or passenger
in the skies of the Triangle,
626
00:34:43,655 --> 00:34:47,275
but now native Alaskan
Qituvituaq Litchard
627
00:34:47,275 --> 00:34:50,206
is going in search
of this elusive creature.
628
00:34:52,310 --> 00:34:53,413
LITCHARD:
This is a mountainous area.
629
00:34:53,413 --> 00:34:56,137
I'm gonna see if I can find
any nest
630
00:34:56,137 --> 00:34:59,000
or any evidence
that they're around here.
631
00:34:59,000 --> 00:35:01,896
NARRATOR: Qituvituaq will have
to stay on his guard.
632
00:35:01,896 --> 00:35:05,137
For any creature that hunts
moose and whales,
633
00:35:05,137 --> 00:35:07,724
he would make easy prey.
634
00:35:09,862 --> 00:35:11,689
[ Ice cracking ]
635
00:35:18,068 --> 00:35:20,137
[ Ice cracking ]
636
00:35:20,137 --> 00:35:24,586
♪♪
637
00:35:24,586 --> 00:35:28,620
NARRATOR: Alaska is a strange
and foreboding place.
638
00:35:28,620 --> 00:35:32,965
Some believe a mysterious
airborne cryptid is hiding here,
639
00:35:32,965 --> 00:35:34,896
the giant thunderbird,
640
00:35:34,896 --> 00:35:39,241
but is this creature a forgotten
relic from prehistoric times?
641
00:35:39,241 --> 00:35:41,517
And could it really exist?
642
00:35:41,517 --> 00:35:43,931
Thunderbirds most definitely
still exist in Alaska.
643
00:35:43,931 --> 00:35:47,620
If you think about it,
we have 664,000 square miles
644
00:35:47,620 --> 00:35:49,689
and only 700,000 people.
645
00:35:49,689 --> 00:35:52,137
Most of the people live
in two cities in Alaska,
646
00:35:52,137 --> 00:35:54,551
and the rest of it
is just vast wilderness.
647
00:35:54,551 --> 00:35:57,275
There's a lot of huge animals
for them to hunt.
648
00:35:57,275 --> 00:35:59,413
There's a lot of open spaces
for them to fly
649
00:35:59,413 --> 00:36:01,103
and never be seen.
650
00:36:01,103 --> 00:36:02,413
NARRATOR: But today,
651
00:36:02,413 --> 00:36:05,275
Qituvituaq is on
the trail of the thunderbird,
652
00:36:05,275 --> 00:36:09,310
and his best chance
to see it is from the air.
653
00:36:09,310 --> 00:36:10,965
LITCHARD:
I brought a drone with me.
654
00:36:10,965 --> 00:36:14,206
These drones can cover about
4 miles in diameter around me.
655
00:36:14,206 --> 00:36:18,103
It's hard to say how many
thunderbirds could be out there.
656
00:36:18,103 --> 00:36:20,724
I want to see if I can find
anything unusual
657
00:36:20,724 --> 00:36:23,724
that would indicate thunderbirds
being in this area.
658
00:36:23,724 --> 00:36:27,896
♪♪
659
00:36:27,896 --> 00:36:29,620
There's a lot of trees here.
660
00:36:29,620 --> 00:36:34,379
♪♪
661
00:36:34,379 --> 00:36:36,896
I'm trying to look for an area
to see if there's anything
662
00:36:36,896 --> 00:36:39,655
that would resemble
a nesting site.
663
00:36:41,379 --> 00:36:43,000
[ Bird squawks ]
664
00:36:45,034 --> 00:36:46,827
NARRATOR:
If the creature is out there,
665
00:36:46,827 --> 00:36:51,034
one man who won't be surprised
is Dr. Robert Ally.
666
00:36:51,034 --> 00:36:54,344
He's a former professor
from the University of Alaska
667
00:36:54,344 --> 00:36:57,172
who has been studying
the thunderbird phenomenon
668
00:36:57,172 --> 00:37:00,448
and has come to
a truly radical conclusion.
669
00:37:00,448 --> 00:37:04,551
DR. ALLEY: Newspaper reports of
large birds being seen in Alaska
670
00:37:04,551 --> 00:37:06,827
could only be explained
biologically
671
00:37:06,827 --> 00:37:09,000
by the possible continued
existence
672
00:37:09,000 --> 00:37:10,275
of relic populations
673
00:37:10,275 --> 00:37:13,862
of something like
the Ice Age pteratorns.
674
00:37:13,862 --> 00:37:17,689
NARRATOR: The pteratorn had
an estimated 23-foot wingspan,
675
00:37:17,689 --> 00:37:21,448
and it towered over humans
at more than 6 feet tall.
676
00:37:21,448 --> 00:37:22,965
DR. ALLEY: To discover
677
00:37:22,965 --> 00:37:25,551
a continuing,
living relic population,
678
00:37:25,551 --> 00:37:30,586
even an individual of a bird
that was only known from fossils
679
00:37:30,586 --> 00:37:35,517
dating back to the Ice Age,
it would be huge.
680
00:37:35,517 --> 00:37:40,793
Whereas an eagle can easily pick
up a lamb from a mountain crag,
681
00:37:40,793 --> 00:37:44,310
a thunderbird such
as a pteratorn,
682
00:37:44,310 --> 00:37:47,551
would easily be able
to pick up something
683
00:37:47,551 --> 00:37:51,172
the size
of a full-grown sheep or goat,
684
00:37:51,172 --> 00:37:53,724
perhaps even a human being.
685
00:37:53,724 --> 00:38:00,620
A pteratorn would be
an apex scavenger from Hell.
686
00:38:00,620 --> 00:38:03,068
NARRATOR:
This is a life-size model
687
00:38:03,068 --> 00:38:05,551
of the biggest prehistoric
pteratorn
688
00:38:05,551 --> 00:38:09,413
made for the Natural History
Museum of Los Angeles.
689
00:38:09,413 --> 00:38:13,206
This monster once ruled
the skies of the Americas
690
00:38:13,206 --> 00:38:16,448
with a reported wingspan
of up to 26 feet.
691
00:38:16,448 --> 00:38:20,241
♪♪
692
00:38:20,241 --> 00:38:23,103
But now evidence
has come to light
693
00:38:23,103 --> 00:38:26,206
that the thunderbird
may be even bigger.
694
00:38:26,206 --> 00:38:29,000
♪♪
695
00:38:29,000 --> 00:38:31,689
This comes from a resident
of Kokhanok
696
00:38:31,689 --> 00:38:35,379
on the shores of Lake Iliamna...
697
00:38:35,379 --> 00:38:36,758
Gary Nielsen.
698
00:38:36,758 --> 00:38:41,827
♪♪
699
00:38:41,827 --> 00:38:45,586
While hunting with a friend
in 2004,
700
00:38:45,586 --> 00:38:48,000
Gary says he saw a thunderbird
701
00:38:48,000 --> 00:38:51,448
that dwarfs the size
reported in other sightings.
702
00:38:53,517 --> 00:38:55,344
NIELSEN:
We were hunting rabbits,
703
00:38:55,344 --> 00:38:56,724
and I stopped for a break.
704
00:38:56,724 --> 00:38:59,586
And my buddy asked, "Who's
that standing on that hill?"
705
00:39:02,344 --> 00:39:03,724
And we looked.
706
00:39:03,724 --> 00:39:05,551
I said, "You know, I don't think
that's a man."
707
00:39:05,551 --> 00:39:09,655
♪♪
708
00:39:09,655 --> 00:39:11,034
I looked at it through my scope,
709
00:39:11,034 --> 00:39:13,931
and it wasn't a man,
and it wasn't an animal.
710
00:39:13,931 --> 00:39:15,827
And I couldn't figure out
what it was.
711
00:39:15,827 --> 00:39:19,310
♪♪
712
00:39:19,310 --> 00:39:23,413
It was very tall, and we were
probably about a mile away,
713
00:39:23,413 --> 00:39:25,000
a mile and a half.
714
00:39:25,000 --> 00:39:27,137
So we took off
straight toward it,
715
00:39:27,137 --> 00:39:29,655
and we got within a half mile.
716
00:39:29,655 --> 00:39:34,827
This thing that we thought
was a very tall person
717
00:39:34,827 --> 00:39:36,620
spread out its wings.
718
00:39:39,068 --> 00:39:42,862
And the wings engulfed
both edges of the hill.
719
00:39:42,862 --> 00:39:46,068
♪♪
720
00:39:46,068 --> 00:39:48,517
In just a few flaps,
it was airborne...
721
00:39:48,517 --> 00:39:50,103
[ Bird squawks ]
722
00:39:50,103 --> 00:39:51,689
...and it started spiraling up.
723
00:39:51,689 --> 00:39:53,482
And we were just watching it.
724
00:39:53,482 --> 00:39:54,896
You know, "What is it?
What is it?"
725
00:39:54,896 --> 00:39:56,448
We were seeing it,
but we weren't believing it.
726
00:39:56,448 --> 00:39:58,000
I mean, it was so huge.
727
00:39:58,000 --> 00:40:00,275
NARRATOR:
Gary has lived here all his life
728
00:40:00,275 --> 00:40:02,724
and knows all the birds
of the area,
729
00:40:02,724 --> 00:40:05,965
but he had never seen
a wingspan like this.
730
00:40:05,965 --> 00:40:09,172
Even though I'm saying it,
it sounds fantastic,
731
00:40:09,172 --> 00:40:10,965
but I would say 50 feet.
732
00:40:10,965 --> 00:40:12,724
I was just flabbergasted
by its wingspan.
733
00:40:12,724 --> 00:40:14,586
It was so huge.
734
00:40:14,586 --> 00:40:18,103
NARRATOR: A creature this size
could pluck a moose or caribou
735
00:40:18,103 --> 00:40:20,344
from the mountain planes
with ease.
736
00:40:22,310 --> 00:40:25,586
As it was flying over,
737
00:40:25,586 --> 00:40:28,068
we saw a caribou in the brush.
738
00:40:28,068 --> 00:40:32,482
It was there,
trying to get that caribou,
739
00:40:32,482 --> 00:40:36,689
but the caribou was inside
a patch of cottonwoods.
740
00:40:36,689 --> 00:40:38,275
And it would not come out.
741
00:40:40,482 --> 00:40:44,172
Something that size,
742
00:40:44,172 --> 00:40:47,034
a large moose would not
have been a problem.
743
00:40:47,034 --> 00:40:52,103
A human would have been nothing,
midday snack.
744
00:40:52,103 --> 00:40:53,965
NARRATOR: The sight
of that massive creature
745
00:40:53,965 --> 00:40:56,482
has haunted Gary ever since.
746
00:40:56,482 --> 00:41:00,896
He can't prove what he saw,
but he's in no doubt.
747
00:41:00,896 --> 00:41:04,862
For Qituvituaq, capturing
such a sight on camera
748
00:41:04,862 --> 00:41:08,310
would be the fulfillment
of a lifelong wish,
749
00:41:08,310 --> 00:41:11,448
but in this landscape,
the range of a drone
750
00:41:11,448 --> 00:41:14,448
is a drop in the ocean.
751
00:41:14,448 --> 00:41:16,551
LITCHARD:
This is a very vast landscape,
752
00:41:16,551 --> 00:41:19,862
and I'm only covering
a few square miles here.
753
00:41:19,862 --> 00:41:22,620
So they're still out there.
They're just avoiding us.
754
00:41:24,034 --> 00:41:26,551
If we're gonna find
thunderbirds in the future,
755
00:41:26,551 --> 00:41:31,310
I'm gonna have to cover
a lot more ground than this,
756
00:41:31,310 --> 00:41:32,965
but I believe it's only
a matter of time
757
00:41:32,965 --> 00:41:36,379
before my investigation
finds thunderbird.
758
00:41:36,379 --> 00:41:39,551
♪♪
759
00:41:39,551 --> 00:41:41,000
NARRATOR: For now, it seems
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00:41:41,000 --> 00:41:44,172
the giant thunderbird
remains elusive,
761
00:41:44,172 --> 00:41:47,517
but it's a creature
that's feared across Alaska.
762
00:41:47,517 --> 00:41:49,448
And it may not be alone.
763
00:41:49,448 --> 00:41:52,965
No one knows what else could be
lurking in the hundreds
764
00:41:52,965 --> 00:41:56,689
of thousands of square miles
of unexplored forest here.
765
00:41:56,689 --> 00:41:59,517
On land and in the air,
766
00:41:59,517 --> 00:42:02,172
the mysteries of
the Alaska Triangle
767
00:42:02,172 --> 00:42:05,275
continue to defy explanation.
768
00:42:05,275 --> 00:42:07,724
The truth is out there,
769
00:42:07,724 --> 00:42:11,655
but for the moment,
it remains beyond our grasp.
61048
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