The U-2 incident refers to the shooting down of an American U-2 spy plane over the Soviet Union on May 1, 1960. The plane, piloted by Francis Gary Powers, was conducting high-altitude reconnaissance missions to gather intelligence on Soviet military capabilities. The incident escalated tensions during the Cold War, as it revealed the extent of U.S. surveillance efforts. After the plane was shot down, the U.S. initially claimed it was a weather research aircraft. However, when the Soviets captured Powers and displayed him, the truth emerged, leading to a diplomatic crisis. The incident occurred just before a scheduled summit between U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev.