Coyne Helicopter Incident
1973 close encounter between a US Army helicopter and an unidentified object over Ohio
| Coyne Helicopter Incident | |
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| Date | October 18, 1973 |
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| Location | Mansfield, Ohio, U.S. |
| Type | Close encounter / near-collision claim |
| Status | Unresolved |
Captain Lawrence Coyne and his Army Reserve helicopter crew reported a cigar-shaped, red-lighted object that approached on a collision course before pacing the aircraft and departing rapidly; the crew also reported their helicopter unexpectedly gained several hundred feet of altitude despite a descent control input.
Assessment
The Federal Aviation Administration received corroborating reports of unusual lights from ground witnesses along the flight path that night. No official military or aviation investigation identified a conventional explanation, and the case is frequently cited by researchers as one of the best-documented aviation close encounters of the 1970s.
[1]See also
References
- ^ Federal Aviation Administration incident report and witness statements, October 1973.