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 during the Vietnam War nearly 60 years ago.
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.
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.
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.
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.
