Mid-Air Encounter With UFO
Rarely Seen US Army Documents Available Again
Who remembers the 1973 case where a UFO
nearly destroyed a US Army Reserve helicopter? You should. Even the debunkers
and sceptics get uncomfortable with this one. If, by some twist of fate, you
don’t, perhaps you will recognise the infamous one page “US Army Disposition
Form” report which was typed up and signed by all four of the crew – 1st. Lt. Arrigo Jezzi, SSgt. John
Healey, SSgt. Robert Yanacek, and Capt. Lawrence J. Coyne. I have imaged it
below.
This document is very well known, and is
quoted whenever the case is discussed. The “Subject” box has “Near Midair
Collision with UFO Report” typed in. What a start to an official military
report straight after the incident occurred?
What many researchers don’t know,
though, is that there were actually four
more pages of USAR paperwork with this case. Researcher Robert Todd had the
US Army’s Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence (ACSI)
release these records under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) after some of
the most abusively demanding correspondence anyone will ever from a UFO
researcher. The records, on top of the above mentioned disposition form, are
four “Operational Hazard Reports”. This type of form was also known as a “DA
Form 2696” and is vital for recording hazardous events. An air safety or flying “hazard” was, in 1973,
defined by the US Army as “any condition or act that affects or may affect the
safe operation of Army aircraft…”. After the startling UFO encounter, each of the
four crew filled out one of these forms. There are tick-boxes and sections that
need to be filled in, and certainly were in this case, such as “Departed From”
and “Flight Atmospheric Conditions”. The most interesting sections, however,
are the “Description/Explanation/Comments” box, the “Other Aircraft/Obstacle (Type
A/C)” box, and the “Other Aircraft/Obstacle (Obstacle Description)” box.
Starting with SSgt. John Healey’s typed
form. In the “Other Aircraft/Obstacle (Type A/C)” box, he typed in “UNK”, which
of course means “unknown”. No surprises whatsoever there. In the “Other
Aircraft/Obstacle (Obstacle Description)” box he states “gry/60’/tube shape”.
For the “Description/Explanation/Comments” section Healey states:
“Bright
red lite on nose, bright green lite on under carriage near aft end, bright
white lite on aft end. Appeared gray in color.”.
I have imaged the form below.
“??ject
approached at same altitude from 8 – 10 mi out, ?? the east, forcing acft
commander to take evasive ??tion. Object made no attempt to alter its
flight path.”
Using common sense, we can be pretty
sure that “??ject” would have said “object”; “??” would say something like “from”;
and “??tion” would have said “action”. This page is imaged below.
The third hazard report form was filled out,
with a typewriter, by 1st. Lt. Arrigo Jezzi, who was at the controls of the
helicopter on the front left-hand side. In the “Other Aircraft/Obstacle (Type
A/C)” box, he has entered in “UFO”. This is simultaneously both nebulous, as
well as paradoxically explicit. The “Other Aircraft/Obstacle (Obstacle Description)”
box has been left blank. For the “Description/Explanation/Comments” section Jezzie
states:
“Obstacle
sighted on the Eastern horizon. First impression was that red light spotted was
a radio tower. Then pilot and crewchief noticed its movement, and that its
direction was toward our aircraft. I spotted this obstacle at about 500ft above
us flying rapidly in the westerly direction. Only thing sited was a highly
intense white-green trailing light. Speed of obstacle and/or a/c was estimated
at 500 knots or better.”
See below.
The final hazard report form I have on
file was filled out by Capt. Lawrence J. Coyne who was commanding the flight
from the front right-hand. In the “Other Aircraft/Obstacle (Type A/C)” box, he
has entered in “Unknown”. For the “Other Aircraft/Obstacle (Obstacle
Description)” Coyne has written “See Attached Sheet”. This is interesting
because it refers to a annotated sketch of the object created by Coyne, which I
will present further on. Finally, the “Description/Explanation/Comments” section has
been left black, possibly because Coyne was instrumental in typing out and
submitting the more well-known “US Army Disposition Form” which I presented at
earlier, and where his narrative is longer than what can be entered into his
the hazard form. See below.
Finally, as mentioned above, there is
one final sheet of paper – an annotated sketch of the object drawn by Coyne – was
released with the hazard reports by the US Army’s record keepers. It is titled,
in Coyne’s handwriting, “Continuation Sheet to DA Form 2696, Item #5 Obstacle
Description: Continued.” Coyne indicates the “direction of movement” with an
arrow, and clearly states, “grey metallic hull”, “Constant bright red light”,
and “50 to 60 feet in length”. Finally, he writes “Green constant light that
moves similar to a spot light only brighter” next to the drawing of the object
and indicates where this light was apparently emanating from. I have imaged it below.
Again, this case has been covered very heavily. However, for ease, I will provide a brief synopsis above the official records thus far presented. A USAR UH-1H helicopter, based in Cleveland, Ohio, was returning from Columbus, Ohio, at about 10:30pm following regularly scheduled physical examinations. Weather was clear and starry. The four-man crew, commanded by Lawrence Coyne, a 19-year veteran of the USAR, noticed a red light on the horizon which appeared to be converging on the helicopter at a worrying speed.
Again, this case has been covered very heavily. However, for ease, I will provide a brief synopsis above the official records thus far presented. A USAR UH-1H helicopter, based in Cleveland, Ohio, was returning from Columbus, Ohio, at about 10:30pm following regularly scheduled physical examinations. Weather was clear and starry. The four-man crew, commanded by Lawrence Coyne, a 19-year veteran of the USAR, noticed a red light on the horizon which appeared to be converging on the helicopter at a worrying speed.
Jennie Zeidman, associate of astronomer
J. Allen Hynek, published a report titled “Helicopter-UFO
Encounter Over Ohio” for the Centre for UFO Studies in 1979 after
meticulously investigating the case. Zeidman states:
“Just
as a collision appeared imminent, the unknown light halted in its westward
course and assumed a hovering relationship above and in front of the
helicopter. “It wasn’t cruising, it was stopped. For maybe ten to twelve
seconds – just stopped,” Yanacsek reported. Coyne, Healey, and Yanacsek agree
that a cigar-shaped, slightly domed object subtended an angle of nearly the
width of the front windshield. A featureless, gray, metallic-looking structure
was precisely delineated against the background stars. Yanacsek reported “a
suggestion of windows” along the top dome section… …The green beam passed
upward over the helicopter nose, swung up through the windshield, continued
upward and entered the tinted upper window panels. At that point the cockpit
was enveloped in green light. Jezzi reported only a bright white light,
comparable to the leading light of a small aircraft, visible through the top “greenhouse”
panels of the windshield. After the estimated ten seconds of “hovering,” the
object began to accelerate off to the west… …After the object had broken off
its hovering relationship, Jezzi and Coyne noted that the magnetic compass disk
was rotating approximately four times per minute and that the altimeter read
approximately 3,500 feet; a 1,000 foot-per-minute climb was in progress. Coyne
insists that the collective was still bottomed from his evasive descent. Since
the collective could not be lowered further, he had no alternative but to lift
it, whatever the results, and after a few seconds of gingerly maneuvering
controls (during which the helicopter reached nearly 3,800 feet), positive
control was achieved. By that time the white light had already moved into the
Mansfield area. Coyne had been subliminally aware of the climb; the others not
at all, yet they had all been acutely aware of the g-forces of the dive. The
helicopter was brought back to the flight plan altitude of 2,500 feet, radio
contact was achieved with Canton/Akron, the night proceeded uneventfully to
Cleveland.”
The case has never been solved.
This military UFO-encounter is as good as it gets, researched it years ago. Found myself following an after-tract re the testing of the removed altimeter which could not be repaired from oscillating behavior during and immediately after the event. R Scott Fitzgerald
ReplyDeleteHere's one skeptic who didn't get uncomfortable with the Coyne case but actually enjoyed investigating it and writing a detailed explanation for it:
ReplyDeletehttps://parabunk.blogspot.com/2018/04/the-1973-coynemansfield-helicopter-ufo.html
I would love to hear your take on it. I consider the case to be solved now, even though it still lacks the confirmation of that plane having been there.
P.S. I'm also quoting you and linking to this blog post there. If you want me to attribute it differently, please let me know.