Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Federal officials identify the remains of a Wisconsin pilot lost over Vietnam in 1967

Federal officials have identified the remains of a U.S. Air Force pilot from Wisconsin who went missing over the skies of Vietnam nearly 60 years ago

Via AP news wire
Wednesday 22 January 2025 18:01 GMT
Missing-Pilot-Vietnam
Missing-Pilot-Vietnam (Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency)

Federal officials have identified the remains of a U.S. Air Force pilot from Wisconsin who went missing during the Vietnam War nearly 60 years ago.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced Tuesday that its scientists in December positively identified the remains of U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Donald W. Downing of Columbus.

Downing was piloting an F-4C Phantom II aircraft during an armed night reconnaissance mission over the then-Democratic Republic of Vietnam in September 1967 when his plane disappeared. Another plane in the formation reported a mid-air fireball and Downing's plane didn't respond to any further radio calls, according to the accounting agency.

Search and rescue efforts yielded nothing and Downing was reported as killed in action in April 1978. He was a captain when he disappeared but was posthumously promoted to lieutenant colonel.

Decades of investigation yielded nothing until a recovery team in May and June 2024 discovered life support equipment, aircraft wreckage and bone tissue at a site in Quang Binh Province, Vietnam.

The accounting agency's scientists used DNA testing as well as other evidence to identify Downing. His funeral will be held in Arlington National Cemetery on an as-yet-undetermined date.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in