The Coyne Helicopter Incident

On October 18, 1973, an Army Reserve helicopter crew encountered a UFO over Mansfield, Ohio. The object approached on a collision course, stopped, and appeared to pull the helicopter upward despite the pilot’s attempts to descend. The incident was witnessed by ground observers and remains one of the most credible military UFO encounters.

The Crew

Captain Lawrence Coyne commanded a UH-1H Huey helicopter returning to Cleveland from Columbus. His crew included co-pilot Arrigo Jezzi, crew chief Robert Yanacsek, and flight medic John Healey. All were experienced military personnel.

The Encounter

At approximately 11:00 PM, Yanacsek spotted a red light on the eastern horizon, initially dismissing it as a tower beacon. However, the light began approaching rapidly on what appeared to be a collision course.

Coyne put the helicopter into a dive, descending from 2,500 feet to approximately 1,700 feet. Despite the dive, the object continued to close at a speed estimated at over 600 knots.

At the last moment, the object stopped directly above the helicopter. The crew observed a gray, metallic, cigar-shaped craft approximately 60 feet long. A red light was at the front, a white light at the rear, and a green light swung down from beneath the object, flooding the helicopter’s cockpit with green light.

The Ascent

As the object departed toward the northwest, Coyne noticed that his helicopter was climbing rapidly despite the collective being set for descent. The helicopter rose from 1,700 feet to 3,800 feet without pilot input—an ascent of 2,100 feet.

Coyne had to actively push the controls down to stop the climb. The ascent appeared to have been caused by the object, though no known mechanism could explain how.

Ground Witnesses

Independently, a family driving on the ground below observed both the helicopter and the object. They described seeing a green light descending from one object to another and the helicopter appearing to be “pulled” upward.

Their testimony corroborated the crew’s account despite having no contact with them.

Investigation

The incident was investigated by the FAA and the Army. No explanation was found for the object or for the helicopter’s apparent loss of controlled descent.

Coyne and his crew maintained their account for decades. They had nothing to gain and potentially much to lose professionally by reporting such an encounter.

Assessment

The Coyne Helicopter Incident is considered one of the most credible military UFO cases. Multiple trained observers with everything to lose reported an encounter that was independently verified by ground witnesses.

Whatever approached that helicopter over Mansfield demonstrated technology beyond 1973 capability—and perhaps beyond current capability. It stopped from high speed instantaneously, hovered silently, and apparently manipulated the helicopter’s altitude. These are not capabilities of known aircraft.