Cover of Craig Collins book
Craig Collins' new book, "Midair," tells the story of his uncle and pilot Don Harten, who experienced a B-52 collision while flying over the South China Sea.
Major Harten began his military career in 1964 flying B-52s in the Mather Air Force Base.
During the Vietnam War, Harten was to be deployed Feb. 11, 1965 on a secretive mission to take out an airfield in Hanoi near Phuc Yen, but was cancelled by President Lyndon Johnson the hour before commencing.
Collins recalls more of his conversation with his uncle Harten to the moments leading up to that crash in midair.
The following images are from the book "Midair."
Major Don Harten, second to left, with his B-52 crew at Mather Air Force Base in 1966. This aircraft was named "Parker's Pride," after Col. Van Parker, who was a base commander at the time.
Maj. Don Harten poses in front of his F-105 at the Royal Tahkli Airforce in Thailand in 1968.
A Soviet missile skims past Maj. Don Harten's F-105 during a mission over Hanoi in 1968. He came out unscathed, but military analysts say he was within the missile's "kill zone." This image was taken by a camera on the belly of the plane, which detected the incoming missile travelling at about 3,000 mph.
