(WFRV) – After decades of investigation, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) has announced that a Wisconsin pilot killed during the Vietnam War has been identified. U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Donald W. Downing, 33, of Columbus, was officially accounted for on December 20, 2024. His family recently received a full briefing on the identification process. Neenah resident takes immediate action in helping rescue two people from a fiery crash In September 1967, Downing was assigned to the 577th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 12th Tactical Fighter Wing, 7th Air Force. On September 5, he piloted an F-4C Phantom II aircraft as the second in a flight of two aircraft conducting a nighttime armed reconnaissance mission over the then-Democratic Republic of Vietnam. During the mission, the lead aircraft observed a large, bright fireball in the air, and Downing’s aircraft did not respond to radio calls. Search and rescue operations commenced at daylight but failed to locate any evidence. On April 28, 1978, the U.S. Air Force officially declared Capt. Downing as Killed in Action. He was later posthumously promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. Decades of investigation into the incident yielded no results until a recovery team with Joint Field Activity 24-3VN found life support equipment, potential material evidence, aircraft wreckage, unexploded ordnance, and possible remains at a site in Quang Binh Province in May and June 2024. To confirm Downing’s identity, DPAA scientists utilized anthropological analysis, material evidence, and circumstantial data. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System conducted mitochondrial DNA and autosomal DNA analysis. Fire in Wautoma destroys mobile home, firefighters battle through -40 degree wind chills Downing’s name is inscribed on the National Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., and on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu. A rosette will be added next to his name to indicate that he has been accounted for. A funeral service for Downing will take place at Arlington National Cemetery, with a date yet to be determined.