Mansfield helicopter ufo incident

Since others are recommending books here, here's my recommendation:

https://www.amazon.com/UFOs-General...rd_wg=OquMk&psc=1&refRID=ZH9ME287EV8MCGZ1QE9K

"Leslie Kean’s astonishing book is the finest piece of investigative journalism ever written on this subject. She has an incomparable ability to ‘give voice’ to a constituency of exceptionally qualified and unbiased first-hand observers. They are not from the fringe, not groupies, and not delusional. Rather, they are high-level military, intelligence, aerospace, and government officials who speak with authority while providing reports that document actual, physical craft. Kean’s book represents the first important step toward a new U.S. government openness about UFOs. It brings forward a reality otherwise buried for far too long inside official mystery, and elevates the discourse above that of small-minded public discussions."
—Christopher C. Green, MD, Ph.D., Harper University Hospital, Wayne State University School of Medicine
 
Magical Realist said:
'

Yep...it's a trifle, and it shows me how desperate you skeptics are to distract from the compelling nature of this account. It's like this is all you've got to complain about. That tells me this is one of the best evidences for ufos I've posted yet. How does it feel to know that ufos are real now? Will life go on? Yes..life goes on. But it just became a helluva alot more mysterious.
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*blink* All it shows, to me anyway, is that your standard for what qualifies as evidence is apparently so low, it is subterranean...
 
Philip Klass talked to the helicopter pilot, Captain Coyne, on 3 January 1974, not long after the incident on 18 October 1973.

Klass recorded (31 December 1976) that Coyne said:

".... I'm a very rational person. I don't believe in UFOs and space monsters and all this kookie stuff, because I don't believe they exist. My biggest concern was that it was almost a mid-air collision as far as I was concerned."
​
Klass then told Coyne about an incident that had occurred on 5 June 1969, in which experienced flight crews of two commercial aeroplanes thought they had had a near mid-air collision with a squadron of UFOs. Those UFOs turned out to be a bright fireball (meteor) and its fragments that had passed about 125 miles north of the aircraft, and which were photographed at the time by a newspaper photographer.

After hearing this story, Coyne said:

"This is all possible. What I'd like to believe, really, is that in the area where we flew, is the Air National Guard, the F-100s have an approach and departure corridor [into the Mansfield airport]. What I think would be a logical explanation was that it could have been an F-100 fighter."
​
However, Coyne had checked the flight records and there were no F-100s flying at the time.

Klass then told Coyne that at the time, the Orionids meteor shower was occurring. That shower begins at around 11 pm each night, and the meteors come out of the east, which is exactly the direction that Coyne's UFO came from. Klass had also received a report from a witness in Central Ohio who had been driving east on 20 October 1973 when he saw several glowing objects in the sky.

Coyne's response:

Coyne: "Well, that would sound like a logical explanation."
Klass: "I'm not trying to convince you, or deprive you of your sighting."
Coyne: "No, it sounds good."​

---
Later, Coyne and his crew were awarded a $5000 prize by the National Enquirer for the "best UFO story", after which Coyne changed his tune and thereafter repeatedly sold his "encounter" story. He became, in effect, a UFO advocate, speaking at UFO conferences and the like. He was a "UFO celebrity".
 
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Magical Realist said:
Curiously, both Dywywddr and Kittamaru quote from that website without posting links. Why aren't they being accused of plagiarism as well?
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I have gone back and edited my post to add the link in, since you found it to be such a bother ;) Enjoy.
 
James R said:
Philip Klass talked to the helicopter pilot, Captain Coyne, on 3 January 1974, not long after the incident on 18 October 1973.

Klass recorded (31 December 1976) that Coyne said:

".... I'm a very rational person. I don't believe in UFOs and space monsters and all this kookie stuff, because I don't believe they exist. My biggest concern was that it was almost a mid-air collision as far as I was concerned."
​
Klass then told Coyne about an incident that had occurred on 5 June 1969, in which experienced flight crews of two commercial aeroplanes thought they had had a near mid-air collision with a squadron of UFOs. Those UFOs turned out to be a bright fireball (meteor) and its fragments that had passed about 125 miles north of the aircraft, and which were photographed at the time by a newspaper photographer.

After hearing this story, Coyne said:

"This is all possible. What I'd like to believe, really, is that in the area where we flew, is the Air National Guard, the F-100s have an approach and departure corridor [into the Mansfield airport]. What I think would be a logical explanation was that it could have been an F-100 fighter."
​
However, Coyne had checked the flight records and there were no F-100s flying at the time.

Klass then told Coyne that at the time, the Orionids meteor shower was occurring. That shower begins at around 11 pm each night, and the meteors come out of the east, which is exactly the direction that Coyne's UFO came from. Klass had also received a report from a witness in Central Ohio who had been driving east on 20 October 1973 when he saw several glowing objects in the sky.

Coyne's response:

Coyne: "Well, that would sound like a logical explanation."
Klass: "I'm not trying to convince you, or deprive you of your sighting."
Coyne: "No, it sounds good."​

---
Later, Coyne and his crew were awarded a $5000 prize by the National Enquirer for the "best UFO story", after which Coyne changed his tune and thereafter repeatedly sold his "encounter" story. He became, in effect, a UFO advocate.
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It is rather funny, how quickly someone will change their tune when money is involved.
 
Klass also investigated the "eyewitnesses" who came forward 3 years after the incident and found that their stories didn't stack up. The helipcopter was several miles away from where they had seen it, and their account conflicted with that of the crew. This was reported in Klass's book UFOs: The Public Deceived (1983).

Coyne claimed that the helicopter's radio became inoperative for several minutes due to the UFO. However, Klass's investigation revealed that the low altitude of the helicopter meant that line-of-sight communication with the airports was impossible. He suggested to Coyne that he experiment by trying to contact the airports from the same altitude on a subsequent flight. Coyne did that and told Klass that, indeed, he could not make contact from that position.

Ref: https://www.csicop.org/specialarticles/show/klass_files_volume_53
 
Coyne: "Well, that would sound like a logical explanation."
Klass: "I'm not trying to convince you, or deprive you of your sighting."
Coyne: "No, it sounds good."
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LOL! There's no quicker way to shut up someone arguing with you than just politely agreeing with them.
 
James R said:
As previously noted, the windows of the helicopter above the pilots were tinted green. If what they saw was a meteor, the green window tint could possibly account for their report of seeing green light.

Ref: http://badufos.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/new-developments-in-frederick-valentich.html
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Except that doesn't match with the eyewitness accounts at all:

"After the red-lighted object stopped, the green light flared up. "When we got out, everything was green. I saw that thing and the helicopter." The witnesses agreed that the helicopter was green "because of the light from the thing up above... It was so bright that you couldn't see too far. Everything was green. The trees, the car, everything."

And here's a description by the pilot:

"The object appeared solid, blotting out the stars behind it. It had a red light at the nose, a white light at the tail, and a distinctive green beam emanating from the lower part of the otherwise featureless "fuselage." The green beam swung up over the helicopter nose, through the windshield, and into the upper tinted window panels. The cockpit was bathed in intense green light. No noise or turbulence was noted."


http://www.thelivingmoon.com/49ufo_files/03files2/1973_Lawrence_Coyne_UFO_Helicopter_Case.html

Also there's the fact that no meteor last 5 minutes. The ufo encounter did. Hence not a meteor.
 
For reference, here is the NICAP report:

Ref: http://www.cufon.org/cufon/foia_007.htm

Document #: 31
From: UFO INFO SERVICE
Date Sent: 07-26-1986
Subject: 1973 HELICOPTER ENCOUNTER

Freedom Of Information Act Document Files
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
DISPOSITION FORM
AR 340-15: the proponent agency is The Adjutant General's Office.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reference Office Symbol ) Subject
)
) Near Midair Collision with UFO Report
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
To Commandor Flight Operations Off DATE 23 Nov 73 Cmt 1
83D USARCOM USAR Flight Facility
ATTN: AHRCCG Cleveland Hopkins Airport
Columbus Support Facility Cleveland, Ohio 44135


1. On 18 October 1973 at 2305 hours in the vicinity of Mansfield, Ohio,
Army Helicopter 68-15444 assigned to Cleveland USARFFAC encountered a near
midair collision with a unidentified flying object. Four crewmembers
assigned to the Cleveland USARFFAC for flying proficiency were on AFTP
status when this incident occurred. The flight crew assigned was CPT
Lawrence J. Coyne, Pilot in Command,1LT Arrigo Jozzi, Copilot, SSG Robert
Yanacsek, Crew Chief, SSG John Healey,Flight Medio,All the above personnel
are member of the 316th MED DET(HEL AMB). a tenant reserve unit of the
Cleveland USARFFAC.

2. The reported incident happened as follows: Army Helicopter 68-15444 was
returning from Columbus, Ohio to Cleveland, Ohio and at 2305 hours east,
south east of Mansfield Airport in the vicinity of Mansfield, Ohio while
flying at an altitude of 2500 feet and on a heading of 030 degrees, SSG
Yanacsek observed a red light on the east horizon,90 degrees to the flight
path of the helicopter. Approximately 30 seconds later, SSG Yanacsek
indicated the object was converging on the helicopter at the same altitude
at a airspeed in excess of 600 knots and on a midair collision heading.

Cpt Coyne observed the converging object, took over the controls of the
aircraft and initiated a power descent from 2500 feet to 1700 feet to
avoid impact with the object. A radio call was initiated to Mansfield
Tower who acknowledged the helicopter and was asked by CPT Coyne if there
were any high performance aircraft flying in the vicinity of Mansfield
Airport however there was no response received from the tower. The crew
expected impact from the object instead, the object was observed to
hesitate momentarily over the helicopter and then slowly continued on a
westerly course accelerating at a high rate of speed, clear west of
Mansfield Airport then turn 45 degree heading to the Northwest.
Cpt Coyne indicated the altimeter read a 1000 fpm climb and read 3500 feet
with the collective in the full down position. The aircraft was returned
to 2500 feet by CPT Coyne and flown back to Cleveland, Ohio. The flight
plan was closed and the FAA Flight Service Station notified of the
incident. The FSS told CPT Coyne to report the incident to the FAA GADO
office a Cleveland Hopkins Airport Mr. Porter, 83d USARCOM was notified of
the incident at 1530 hours on 19 Oct 73.

3. This report has been read and attested to by the crewmembers of the
aircraft with signatures acknowledging this report.

Lawrence J. Coyne Arrigo Jozzi
_______________________ _____________________

Robert Yanacsek John Healey
_______________________ ______________________


--------------------------------------------------------------------------
DA FORM 2496
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Also from NICAP:

Ref: http://www.nicap.org/731018mansfield_dir.htm

Coyne Helicopter, E-M / Magnetic Compass Encounter
October 18, 1973
Mansfield, Ohio
Jennie Zeidman:October 18, 1973; Mansfield, Ohio
11:05 p.m. Army Reserve helicopter encountered domed, craft-like object that beamed green light into cockpit, lifted helicopter off course (UFOE II). The Army helicopter 68-15444 was returning from Columbus, Ohio to Cleveland, Ohio, and southeast of Mansfield Airport, Ohio while flying at an altitude of 2500 feet and on a heading of 030 degrees, SSG Yanacsek observed a red light on the east horizon, 90 degrees to the flight path of the helicopter. Approximately 30 seconds later, SSG Yanacsek indicated the object was converging on the helicopter at the same altitude at an airspeed in excess of 600 knots and on a midair collision heading. Captain Coyne observed the converging object, took over the controls of the aircraft and initiated a power descent from 2500 feet to 1700 feet to avoid impact with the object. A radio call was initiated to Mansfield Tower who acknowledged the helicopter and was asked by Capt. Coyne if there were any high performance aircraft flying in the vicinity of Mansfield Airport, however there was no response received from the tower. The crew expected impact from the object; instead the object was observed to hesitate momentarily over the helicopter and then slowly continued on a westerly course accelerating at a high rate of speed, clear west of Mansfield Airport then turn 45 degrees heading to the Northwest. Capt. Coyne indicated the altimeter read a 100 fpm (feet per minute) climb and read 3500 feet with the collective in the full down position. The aircraft was returned to 2500 feet by Capt. Coyne and flown back to Cleveland, Ohio. The flight plan was closed and the FAA Flight Service Station notified of the incident. The radio returned to normal 10 minutes after the incident, having gone completely dead on both UHF and VHF frequencies just after Coyne had established contact with Mansfield control tower. Some witnesses on the ground reported seeing the helicopter as well as and object "like a blimp" and "as big as a school bus" hovering above the helicopter. When the UFO's green light appeared it was described by the witnesses as "like rays coming down and the helicopter, the trees, the road and everything turned green." Capt Coyne : "From a speed of 600 mph, it abruptly slowed down to our exact speed of 100 mph and hovered above us." Co-pilot Jezzi: "The object was cigar-shaped, metallic grey, with a dome on top." Staff Sergeant Healey : "It was about 60 feet long, without any portholes or intake openings that we could see. At first it was just showing a red light in nose. Then a green spotlight at the back swept around and shone into our cabin." (Sources: Zeidman, NARCAP Case 36)

Fran Ridge:
Reviewing his instruments, Coyne noticed that the magnetic compass was rotating slowly, while the Radio Magnetic Indicator was functioning normally. He descended to the previously assigned cruise altitude of 2,500 feet and made radio contact with the Akron/Canton air traffic controllers. (Richard Hall)
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