Francis Gary Powers

Francis Gary Powers (Jenkins, Kentucky August 17, 1929 – Los Angeles, California, August 1, 1977) was an American pilot. He was known for piloting a Central Intelligence Agency U-2 spy plane which was shot down while flying a reconnaissance mission over the Soviet Union.^[1] This caused the 1960 U-2 incident, and played a large role in the Cold War.

Powers in 1960

Powers was held as a prisoner of war in the Soviet Union. On February 10, 1962, Powers was exchanged in a spy swap in Berlin. The exchange was for Soviet KGB Colonel Vilyam Fisher, known as "Rudolf Abel", who had been caught by the FBI and tried and jailed for espionage.^[2] Powers credited his father with the swap idea. When released, Powers's total time in captivity was 1 year, 9 months, and 10 days.

Powers died in Los Angeles County, California in a helicopter crash, aged 47.