Coyne Helicopter Incident (1973)

On October 18, 1973, a US Army Reserve UH-1H Huey helicopter crew of four — commanded by Captain Lawrence Coyne — was flying at 2,500 feet near Mansfield, Ohio when crew chief Sergeant Robert Yanacsek spotted a red light closing on them from the east. Coyne put the helicopter into a powered descent to avoid collision. The object — a gray, cigar-shaped metallic craft approximately 60 feet long with a dome on top — stopped directly above them and projected a green beam of light that flooded the cockpit. Despite Coyne maintaining a powered descent at 2,000 feet per minute, the altimeter showed the helicopter CLIMBING — from 1,700 feet to 3,500 feet — as if being pulled upward by the object. The collective (power control) was still in the full down position. The object then accelerated away to the west. Ground witnesses independently corroborated the green light and the helicopter's unusual flight path. All four crew members — military officers — filed official reports and testified publicly. The case was investigated by the Center for UFO Studies (Hynek's CUFOS) and was featured in the Sturrock Panel review. This is a military crew in a military aircraft experiencing a UAP physically manipulating their helicopter against the pilot's control inputs, confirmed by instruments, with independent ground witnesses.