How A Nighthawk Was Shot Down

On March 27, 1999, Lt. Col. Darrell Zelko of the USAF 49th Fighter Wing embarked on a high-stakes mission over Serbia. As part of Operation Allied Force, Zelko piloted his F-117A Nighthawk to bomb a Serbian Air Force command center in Belgrade. Relying solely on his plane’s cutting-edge stealth capabilities, Zelko faced a formidable challenge—a SAM battery equipped with an outdated Soviet-made S-125 Neva missile system was lying in wait.

A Solo Mission

Zelko was initially supported by F-16 Vipers equipped with radar-suppressing missiles. However, severe weather forced the Vipers to return to base, leaving him alone. Success depended entirely on the Nighthawk’s ability to avoid detection, appearing on enemy radar as small as a tennis ball.

A Critical Error

Unbeknownst to Zelko, Lt. Col. Zoltan Dani and his Serbian missile crew had been alerted by spies to incoming aircraft. As Zelko opened his bomb bay to drop his payload, his radar signature temporarily increased. The Serbian P-18 early-warning radar locked onto the aircraft, and two missiles were launched. The first missed, but the second exploded near the Nighthawk, causing catastrophic damage.

Ejection and Survival

Zelko ejected as the plane spiraled out of control. Landing in a forest deep behind enemy lines, he immediately camouflaged himself with mud and used his survival radio to report his position. A rescue helicopter arrived but initially missed him due to a failed infrared strobe. In a daring move, Zelko lit a flare to signal his location, risking detection by enemy forces. The helicopter landed just long enough to retrieve him before escaping moments ahead of Serbian search teams.

Aftermath and Legacy

Zoltan Dani’s crew remains the only team to have downed a stealth aircraft in combat. Reflecting on the event, Dani likened it to “scoring the winning goal in a football match.” The wreckage of the F-117A was salvaged and displayed in the Museum of Aviation in Belgrade, a stark reminder of the incident.

Years later, in 2011, Zelko met Dani, the man who shot him down, bringing closure to an extraordinary chapter in aviation history. Their meeting underscored the human connections forged even in the midst of war.