The Coyne Helicopter Incident (1973)

On October 18, 1973, during the massive UFO wave sweeping America, a U.S. Army Reserve UH-1H Huey helicopter encountered an unidentified object near Mansfield, Ohio that defied all explanation. As the crew took evasive action to avoid collision, a cigar-shaped metallic craft stopped directly in front of them, swept a green light through their cabin, and - while the collective was set for descent - somehow lifted the helicopter from 1,700 feet to over 3,500 feet. All instruments failed during the encounter, the magnetic compass never worked again, and a family on the ground independently witnessed the entire event. Captain Lawrence Coyne later testified before the United Nations.

The Crew

Captain Lawrence J. Coyne

The commander:

• 36 years old
• 19 years flying experience
• Army Reserve helicopter pilot
• Commander of flight
• Highly credible witness

First Lieutenant Arrigo Jezzi

Co-pilot:

• 26 years old
• Chemical engineer by profession
• Experienced pilot
• Trained observer
• Corroborated all events

Sergeant John Healey

Flight medic:

• 35 years old
• Cleveland police officer
• Double credibility (military/law enforcement)
• Witnessed encounter
• Confirmed account

Sergeant Robert Yanacsek

Crew chief:

• 23 years old
• Computer technician
• First to spot object
• Key witness
• Consistent testimony

The Flight

Mission

The context:

• UH-1H Huey helicopter
• Returning from Columbus to Cleveland
• Army Reserve training flight
• Night conditions
• Routine mission

Location and Time

When and where:

• October 18, 1973
• Approximately 11:00 PM
• Near Mansfield, Ohio
• Over Charles Mill Lake area
• Clear night

The Encounter

Initial Sighting

First observation:

• Sergeant Yanacsek spotted red light on eastern horizon
• Initially thought conventional aircraft
• Light appeared stationary
• Then began closing at high speed
• Approaching helicopter rapidly

Collision Avoidance

Coyne’s response:

• Light closing on apparent collision course
• Initiated emergency descent
• Dropped from 2,500 feet to 1,700 feet
• Attempted radio contact with Mansfield tower
• Radio completely dead on all frequencies

The Object Arrives

What happened:

• Object stopped directly in front of helicopter
• Hovered above and ahead
• No collision occurred
• Object positioned itself deliberately

The Object

Physical Description

What the crew observed:

• Approximately 60 feet long
• Cigar or cylindrical shape
• Metallic grey structure
• Solid, structured craft
• Not a light or meteor

Lights

Illumination observed:

• Red light at front (bow)
• White light at rear (stern)
• Green light underneath
• Green light swept through cabin
• Illuminated entire helicopter interior

The Green Light

The key moment:

• Green light swept across helicopter
• Filled cabin interior
• Bright enough to illuminate everything
• Crew bathed in green glow
• Extraordinary sight

The Impossible Climb

Controls Set for Descent

The anomaly:

• Collective was in full down position
• Should have been descending
• Instead, helicopter rose
• From 1,700 feet to over 3,500 feet
• Climb rate approximately 1,000 feet per minute

Physical Impossibility

What should have happened:

• Collective down = descent
• Cannot climb with collective down
• Fundamental helicopter physics violated
• Something lifted them
• Against their control inputs

Duration

How long:

• Climb continued for approximately 1-2 minutes
• Crew noted altimeter climbing
• Despite descent configuration
• Coyne finally noticed altitude gain
• Regained control only after object departed

Instrument Failures

Complete Shutdown

Systems affected:

• All instruments malfunctioned
• Magnetic compass spinning wildly
• Radio dead on all frequencies
• No communications possible
• Total electrical disruption

Radio Failure

Communication blackout:

• Attempted contact with Mansfield tower
• Complete silence
• No static even
• Dead radio
• Restored only after object left

Permanent Damage

The compass:

• Magnetic compass never worked again after encounter
• Had to be completely replaced
• Could not be repaired
• Permanent physical evidence
• Something affected it fundamentally

Object Departure

Exit

How it left:

• After brief hover, object accelerated westward
• Disappeared over horizon
• Extreme speed
• No sonic boom
• Gone in seconds

Systems Restoration

Recovery:

• Instruments gradually returned to normal
• Radio came back
• Except magnetic compass
• Helicopter controllable again
• Normal flight resumed

Ground Witnesses

The Family

Independent confirmation:

• Mother and children in car below
• Observed both helicopter and object
• Different vantage point
• No connection to crew
• Separate witnesses

Their Description

What they saw:

• “Blimp-like,” “pear-shaped” object
• “Big as a school bus”
• Saw green light illuminate helicopter
• Watched entire encounter
• Corroborated crew’s account

Significance

Why this matters:

• Ground witnesses confirm event
• Not crew hallucination
• Object was visible to others
• Independent verification
• Multiple locations confirm same event

Investigation

Official Reporting

What Coyne did:

• Reported to FAA (P.J. Vollmer, Cleveland Hopkins)
• Filed complete account
• Submitted documentation
• Vollmer statement: “I trust his judgment without a question of a doubt”

NORAD Confirmation

Military verification:

• NORAD confirmed no other aircraft in area
• No traffic that could explain sighting
• Object was not conventional aircraft
• Tracking data supported encounter
• No identification made

CUFOS Investigation

Civilian study:

• Jennie Zeidman conducted extensive investigation
• Interviewed all witnesses
• Documented all evidence
• Published findings
• Case considered among best on record

Recognition

National Enquirer Award

1973 honor:

• Blue Ribbon Panel awarded $5,000
• “Most scientifically valuable report” of 1973
• Expert panel recognized case quality
• Coyne accepted award
• Legitimized encounter

United Nations Testimony

International recognition:

• Coyne testified before United Nations
• Presented case officially
• International forum
• Highest-level acknowledgment
• Historic testimony

Rod Serling Documentary

Media coverage:

• Featured in Serling UFO documentary
• Case presented to public
• Coyne’s testimony preserved
• Historical record maintained

Analysis

Evidence Quality

Why this case is exceptional:

• Four trained military aviation witnesses
• Ground corroboration
• Instrument failures documented
• Physical evidence (compass destroyed)
• No conventional explanation

The Lift

The central mystery:

• Helicopter lifted against controls
• Physical impossibility
• Something exerted force on aircraft
• 1,800 feet of impossible climb
• Defies physics as we know it

Credibility

Why witnesses are believed:

• Military officers
• Experienced aviators
• Police officer among them
• No motive to fabricate
• Careers at stake

The Question

October 18, 1973. Night. Ohio.

Captain Larry Coyne has been flying for 19 years. His crew chief spots a red light. Coming fast. Collision course.

Coyne pushes the collective down. Emergency descent. 2,500 feet. 2,000 feet. 1,700 feet.

He radios Mansfield tower.

Dead. Nothing. No static. No response. Dead radio.

The object stops. Right in front of them. A grey metallic cigar. Sixty feet long. Red light in front. White in back. And underneath…

Green light sweeps through the cabin. Fills everything. The crew is bathed in green.

And then the impossible happens.

The collective is down. Should be descending. Every helicopter pilot knows: collective down, you go down.

They’re going up.

1,700 feet. 2,000 feet. 2,500 feet. 3,000 feet. 3,500 feet.

The altimeter is climbing. The controls say descend. The helicopter is rising.

Something is lifting them.

The object hovers there. Then it accelerates west. Gone in seconds.

Controls work again. Radio comes back. They’re at 3,500 feet. A mile higher than they should be.

The magnetic compass spins uselessly. It will never work again.

On the ground below, a mother and her children saw it all. The helicopter. The object. The green light.

Captain Coyne testifies to the United Nations. He tells them what happened.

Something took control of his aircraft. Lifted it against his inputs. Released them when it was done.

The compass proves something happened. Destroyed by the encounter. Had to be replaced.

The Coyne helicopter incident.

Four military witnesses. Ground confirmation. Instrument failures. Physical evidence.

And an aircraft that climbed when it should have fallen.

Lifted by something.

Still unexplained.

Still impossible.

Still on the record.