Lawrence Coyne

Lawrence Coyne was a retired U.S. Army Reserve helicopter pilot whose name is associated with one of the best-documented military helicopter UAP encounters: on 18 October 1973 he flew with three crew members in a UH-1H Huey near Mansfield, Ohio, when a large grey cigar-shaped object approached at high speed. Despite his descent input, an unknown force pulled the helicopter from about 1,700 feet to 3,800 feet; the crew found itself bathed in green light, and ground witnesses independently confirmed the encounter.

• Retired U.S. Army Reserve helicopter pilot
• 18 October 1973 flight in a UH-1H Huey near Mansfield, Ohio
• Three additional crew members on board
• Approach of a large grey cigar-shaped object at high speed
• Helicopter pulled from roughly 1,700 to 3,800 feet despite a full descent input
• Crew bathed in green light emanating from the object
• Independent confirmation by multiple ground witnesses; investigation by the Center for UFO Studies

For the UAP timeline, Coyne is the reference case of military helicopter UAP encounters: multiple witnesses in the air, multiple witnesses on the ground, documented altitude change against pilot input. The case is cited whenever the question is physical influence of a UAP on a crewed military aircraft, without falling into the radar-data discussion characteristic of fighter-jet cases.