Captain Piana was the pilot of a F7F-3N Tigercat night fighter with the Marine Night Fighter Squadron 513, Marine Air Group 33, 1st Marine Air Wing. On 10 July 1952, while on a combat mission, his aircraft's engine caught fire. He ordered his radar observer to bail out. The aircraft crashed and burned. He was listed as Missing in Action and was presumed dead on 16 December 1953. His remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.

Piana was awarded the Air Medal, the Purple Heart, the Combat Action Ribbon, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.