Lieutenant Colonel Darrell Patrick “Dale” Zelko is a retired United States Air Force officer and F-117A Nighthawk stealth fighter pilot, best known as the only pilot ever shot down while flying a stealth aircraft in combat. Serving with the 49th Fighter Wing based at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, Zelko was deployed to Aviano Air Base, Italy, during Operation Allied Force in 1999.

On the night of 27–28 March 1999, he flew an F-117A (tail number 82-0806, callsign Vega 31) on a strike mission over Belgrade, Serbia. While returning from the bombing run, his aircraft was detected and engaged by the Yugoslav 3rd Battalion, 250th Air Defense Missile Brigade, using the S-125 Neva (SA-3 GOA) surface-to-air missile system, and was successfully shot down near the village of Buđanovci. Zelko ejected safely, landed in a field, and evaded capture while calling for rescue using his survival radio. About six hours later, he was successfully recovered by an AFSOC combat search and rescue team aboard an MH-53 Pave Low helicopter from the 55th Special Operations Squadron, under Joint Task Force Noble Anvil. His survival and recovery became one of the most notable CSAR missions in modern U.S. military history, and the shootdown marked the first and still only successful engagement of a stealth aircraft in combat. After returning to the United States, Zelko continued his Air Force career, rarely speaking publicly about the incident. He retired from active military service and later pursued a civilian life focused on family, faith, and youth mentorship.

Source of information and photo: en.wikipedia.org