Petrović was the first Serbian Air Force pilot to be killed in the line of duty and only the second such fatality in the history of military aviation.

He completed his primary education in his native village and later attended a military high school in Kragujevac, but failed to graduate.

After only managing to secure menial work in Belgrade, Petrović travelled to Russia in 1902 and applied to a military academy in Saint Petersburg, but was not accepted.

Upon returning to Serbia, he enrolled in Belgrade's Military Academy with the aim of becoming a non-commissioned officer in an artillery unit.

[1] In 1912, Petrović was among six recruits selected by the Royal Serbian Government to undergo training at Henri and Maurice Farman's flying school in Étampes, near Paris.

The recruits were tested in flying their planes for one hour non-stop at an altitude over 100 metres (330 ft), landing at a predetermined airfield and gliding with a dead engine.

[2] Petrović began training on the Farman HF.20 reconnaissance biplane at Trupalsko polje, near Niš.

He was subsequently assigned to the nascent Serbian Air Force's newly formed Littoral Air Detachment (Serbian: Primorski aeroplanski odred), which was taking part in the siege of Scutari (modern-day Shkodër, Albania).

7 March] 1913, captains Miloš Ilić and Živojin Stanković attempted to fly a reconnaissance mission, but were forced to turn back due to strong winds.

Captain Jovan Jugović decided to complete Ilić and Stanković's mission, but strong winds forced him to abort as well.

At 10:35 a.m., a strong gust of wind tilted the aircraft at an angle, and the untethered Petrović was pushed out of his seat and fell 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) to his death.

The aircraft suddenly went into a spin and Petrović was thrown from the plane, falling to his death on the banks of the Drin River.

[5] Military medics quickly arrived at the site where Petrović had fallen, but he was declared dead at the scene, and buried the following day near Barbullush.

[1] Petrović is considered the first Serbian Air Force pilot to have been killed in the line of duty.

[1] In September 2018, the Serbian Air Force base adjacent to Niš Constantine the Great Airport was named after him.