Capt Rod Lovell

From Hero to Zero is the incredible, true story of Captain Rod Lovell’s unbelievable castigation for doing the very thing he was paid to do – keep his passengers safe.

Imagine being punished for saving lives? Imagine if you only had 46 seconds to save those lives. Imagine if it was one of your loved ones whose life was spared. Would you not hail the man who saved lives a hero? The Australian media and public embraced Captain Rod Lovell as a hero. The aviation authorities brought him down to zero.

Captain Rod Lovell was punished by having his pilot’s licence suspended even though his outstanding skills enabled him to successfully ditch an aircraft in Botany Bay, Sydney, on the 24th of April, 1994 without fatalities or serious injuries. What is even more remarkable was that he did this with only 46 seconds to spare. The post-traumatic stress Rod suffered after the accident was not related to the accident itself. It was the bully tactics and injustice he suffered at the hands of the aviation authorities over the following years. Rod’s attempt to get an accurate report and clear his name through the courts proved futile and left him financially and emotionally drained. As Rod explained in his book, the Australian government spent millions training him as a RAAF pilot, only to suspend his licence twenty-two years later, deeming him unfit to fly stating that the accident was due to ‘pilot error’, rather than a faulty aircraft.

From Hero to Zero is a fascinating book regardless of whether you are an aviation enthusiast or simply like incredible true stories. Rod’s thorough research in his quest to find the truth behind why both engines failed will leave you better educated and informed of actual facts from the person who lived them. Rod’s extraordinary, true story will make you laugh, cry, and stir you to anger at the injustice he suffered for doing his job with excellence. The best way to right a wrong is to spread the word by writing a review and recommending From Hero to Zero to as many people you can so that Rod’s status can revert to From Zero to Hero and his name cleared of all wrong doing once and for all.