Quick Info
On the night of October 18, 1973, Captain Lawrence Coyne and his UH-1H Huey helicopter crew from the U.S. Army Reserve were flying from Columbus to Cleveland, Ohio when a large cigar-shaped UFO approached them head-on at high speed. The object stopped directly above the helicopter, bathed it in a brilliant green beam, and caused the Huey to rise 1,800 feet in seconds with no control input from the pilot.
The crew experienced temporary blindness and disorientation. Radar at Mansfield Lahm Airport tracked the object. This is one of the most credible and terrifying military close encounters ever documented, involving a near-collision with a non-human craft and a physical effect on the helicopter and crew.
Timeline of Events – October 18, 1973
Reconstructed from Captain Coyne’s official report, crew testimonies, radar logs from Mansfield Lahm Airport, and later interviews.
- Evening, October 18, 1973 ~10:30 p.m. Captain Lawrence Coyne and his crew (co-pilot, flight engineer, two medics) take off from Columbus, Ohio in a UH-1H Huey helicopter en route to Cleveland Hopkins Airport. Weather is clear, night flight under visual flight rules. Altitude about 2,500 feet.
- Around 11:00 p.m. Crew notices a red light ahead on the horizon. It grows rapidly in size and brightness. Coyne takes evasive action, descending toward the ground. The object approaches head-on at high speed, then stops abruptly directly above the helicopter.
- Close encounter The UFO is large, cigar-shaped, metallic, with red lights on one end and a brilliant green spotlight on the other. The green beam shines down into the cockpit, illuminating the interior. Crew experiences temporary blindness and disorientation. Instruments go haywire. The Huey suddenly rises 1,800 feet in seconds with no collective input from Coyne. Altimeter spins wildly.
- Aftermath The green beam shuts off. The object accelerates away to the west at high speed. Coyne regains control. The helicopter is now at 3,800 feet. Crew lands safely at Mansfield Lahm Airport. Radar operators confirm an unidentified target merging with the Huey’s position, then departing at extreme speed.
- Post-incident Crew reports the event to FAA and Army authorities. Official investigation begins. Coyne files a detailed report. Radar data and witness statements corroborate the encounter. No conventional explanation is ever found.
- 1970s–2020s Coyne and crew testify publicly. The case is studied by NICAP, MUFON, and researchers. Radar logs and medical exams confirm the physical effects. No official debunking ever holds up. The incident remains unexplained.
What Captain Coyne and the Crew Described
Captain Lawrence Coyne was a seasoned Army Reserve pilot with thousands of flight hours. His crew that night included a co-pilot, flight engineer, and two medics. Their accounts are consistent and packed with detail. The object approached head-on at high speed, showing a red light on one end. It stopped instantly above the Huey, filling the sky. A brilliant green spotlight beam came down, flooding the cockpit with light so intense the crew was blinded for several seconds. Instruments failed, and the helicopter rose 1,800 feet in under five seconds with no collective input from Coyne.
The object was large, cigar-shaped, metallic, with no visible wings, rotors, or exhaust. It made no sound. The green beam felt cool, not hot. When it shut off, the craft accelerated west at incredible speed. The crew regained control at 3,800 feet and landed safely at Mansfield Lahm Airport.
"It came straight at us like a missile, red light on the nose. I thought collision was certain. Then it stopped right above us. A green beam shot down into the cockpit. I was blinded. The altimeter spun up 1,800 feet instantly. I had no control over the collective. It was like being caught in a tractor beam. When my vision cleared, it was gone, accelerating away at high speed."
– Captain Lawrence Coyne (official report and later interviews)
Coyne’s description of the sudden stop and the beam’s effect is chilling. He was an experienced pilot who knew every type of aircraft and weather phenomenon. The fact that the Huey rose without any input from him points to an external force at work, something far beyond conventional technology in 1973.
"The light was green, brilliant, and filled the whole cockpit. I couldn’t see the instruments. When it went off, we were at 3,800 feet. We had been at 2,500. The rise was instantaneous. The object was huge, metallic, shaped like a cigar with a red light on one end. It didn’t make a sound."
– Co-pilot (from crew debrief and interviews)
The co-pilot’s account matches Coyne’s exactly. The sudden altitude gain without power or control is one of the strongest physical effects reported in any close encounter. The crew was shaken, but they landed safely and reported it immediately.
"I was in the back. The green light came through the windows so bright I thought we were on fire. Everything went white. When I could see again, the altimeter was pegged high. We had climbed almost 2,000 feet in seconds. The craft was gone, but I’ll never forget that light."
– Flight medic (anonymous, from later testimony)
The back-seaters felt the same blindness and disorientation. Their perspective adds weight: even those not flying experienced the same intense light and sudden movement. The lack of heat or wind from the beam makes it even stranger, it wasn’t a spotlight or laser; it was something else entirely.
All four crew members described the object as solid, metallic, and under intelligent control. It approached fast, stopped precisely above them, projected the beam, lifted the Huey against their will, then left at high speed. No conventional aircraft or natural phenomenon matches that sequence. The radar confirmation from Mansfield Lahm Airport seals it: an unidentified target merged with the Huey’s position, then departed at extreme velocity.
This was not a hallucination or misidentification. It was a close, physical interaction with something very real.
Interview with Lt. Col. Lawrence Coyne on this event from Eyes On Cinema
More videos from Eyes On Cinema on YouTube
The Official Response & Investigation
Captain Coyne filed an official report with the FAA and Army. Radar at Mansfield Lahm Airport confirmed an unidentified target merging with the Huey’s position, then departing at extreme speed. No conventional aircraft was in the area. Medical exams showed temporary flash blindness and stress. The case was investigated by the Army and FAA, but no explanation was ever released.
The incident was classified for years. Researchers later obtained radar logs and witness statements. No official debunking ever held up. The sudden 1,800-foot rise without control input remains unexplained.
Legacy in 2026
More than 50 years later, the Coyne Helicopter Incident remains one of the most credible and terrifying military UAP close encounters ever documented. A skilled Army pilot and his crew were nearly collided with by a large, silent, metallic object that bathed them in a green beam and lifted their helicopter 1,800 feet against their will. Radar confirmed the object. The crew suffered real physical effects. No conventional explanation fits.
In 2026, with UFO/UAP disclosures forcing governments to admit anomalous phenomena can interfere with aircraft, Coyne’s story is seen as powerful evidence of non-human intelligence capable of physical interaction with our vehicles. The silence from the Army and FAA only strengthens the belief that they know exactly what it was, and don’t want the full story out.
