Rotors in the Sand

“ROTORS IN THE SAND” TELLS THE COMPELLING

TRUE STORY, unvarnished and starkly real as to what happened behind the scenes of the CV-22 Osprey accident investigation. Find out more about the four casualities, and the sixteen survivors of the most controversial accident in Air Force history. Travel with the Board as they piece together hundreds of clues to solve the ultimate question: Why did the Osprey suddenly “fall out of the sky?”

After conducting over 100 interviews and spending time combing through wreckage — find out how the Accident Board determined the substantially contributing factors that caused the accident. Was it “pilot error?”

Was the accident caused by an engine power malfunction? Learn how the Osprey crew desperately fought to save their crippled airplane during the last 18 seconds of flight on April 9, 2010. This book will give reader’s a renewed appreciation for our men and women in uniform and the extremely dangerous missions they are tasked to conduct while in the combat zones around the world.

“Rotors in the Sand” is written by NGAT Life Member, Brigadier General (Retired) Donald D. Harvel. Harvel retired from the U.S. Air Force in September of 2010 with over 34 years of military service. After graduating from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York in 1976, he received a commission into the U.S. Air Force. He attended pilot training at Williams Air Force base in Chandler, Arizona. After graduation, Harvel flew C-130 aircrafts on active duty and in the Air National Guard. He was a squadron commander, group commander, and a wing commander. He also worked as the Air National Guard advisor to the commander of Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC).

In August of 2019, Harvel retired from his job as a commercial airline pilot. He had over 20,000 hours of flying time in the military and commercial aircraft. His book was released in April of 2020. Sadly, Harvel died suddenly on September 5, 2020. All proceeds from book sales are being donated to select veteran organizations to help gold star families. H

All proceeds from book sales are being donated to select veteran organizations to help gold star families.