Coyame “crash” — Chihuahua
According to ufologists, residents near Coyame, in the Chihuahuan desert, reported a mid-air collision between a UFO and a small aeroplane on August 25, 1974, followed by a military recovery and a cover-up. The best-known version says U.S. air-defence radar followed a fast, high object from the Gulf of Mexico until it vanished near Coyame, and that a light aircraft that had left El Paso collided with it. Historians point instead to the real 1974 crash and recovery of a Cessna that had been carrying drugs, which they believe gave rise to the story. It is sometimes called Mexico’s Roswell. The case is listed because it is so often cited, not because the account is documented.
Explanation
Historians say the reports were most likely prompted by the crash and military recovery of a Cessna used for drug smuggling. The radar story that circulates in UFO literature is known only from later retellings.
What was seen
Shape: Disc-shaped object (as told)
Witnesses: Local residents (reported)
Duration: Not recorded