On the night of August 25, 1974, in the quiet town of Coyame, Chihuahua, an incident dubbed the ‘Mexican Roswell’ unfolded. Here, a collision between an unidentified flying object (UFO) and a Cessna aircraft resulted in the tragic death of Mexican soldiers. The aftermath drew the attention of the U.S. government, which controversially offered to help recover the wreckage.
For aficionados of UFO lore, the Roswell incident in New Mexico is a pivotal historical moment. In this event, a purported UFO crashed, and witnesses reported seeing crew members described as beings with “gray skin, disproportionately large heads, bulging eyes, and small slits for mouths, emitting an unpleasant odor.” Intimidation and mysterious disappearances of some of these witnesses only added to the intrigue.
Yet, the Coyame incident remains relatively obscure despite its chilling parallels. On that fateful day in 1974, U.S. radar systems, initially mistaking the UFO for a meteorite, tracked its erratic path near Corpus Christi, Texas. In a twist of fate, the UFO abruptly changed course and collided with a Cessna plane en route from El Paso to Mexico City. The crash site in Coyame then became ground zero for a covert operation.
The Coyame mystery
U.S. intelligence had been keenly observing the UFO’s path, and when the collision occurred, their interest peaked. In the wake of the crash, the U.S. offered to assist in the recovery efforts. However, Mexico declined, prompting Fort Bliss to unilaterally assemble a team intent on retrieving the remnants scattered about the desert landscape near the U.S.-Mexico border.
Despite the Mexican government’s refusal, the U.S. maintained a vigilant aerial watch over the recovery operations. As Noé Torres and Rubén Uriarte recounted in their detailed chronicle, “Roswell of Mexico,” the crash’s remnants were initially loaded onto flatbed trucks by the Mexican recovery team. But a determined U.S. team soon arrived, armed with jeeps, trucks, and donning biohazard suits, prepared to intervene.
The scene was haunting. The Mexican recovery crew lay lifeless inside their vehicles while a gleaming, metallic saucer, possibly the cause of their demise, lay beside them. While the saucer bore evidence of high-speed impact, the cause of the crew’s death remained an enigma.
Swiftly, the U.S. operatives transferred the saucer to a Sea Stallion helicopter. They then obliterated all traces of the crash, employing high explosives to destroy the remaining wreckage, the recovery vehicles, and fragments of the downed Cessna.
Today, the memories of that incident are preserved in the whispered tales of Coyame’s elderly residents. Some recount sightings of soldiers, while others recall the horrific sight of the plane erupting in flames. Despite these narratives, official recognition remains elusive, with both the U.S. and Mexican governments staunchly denying any such event took place.