A personalized flight-following experience with unlimited alerts and more. The agent's attention was drawn elsewhere, however, and he never noticed if the man boarded the flight or not. At 00:55 the aircraft suddenly crashed into the Gulf of Mexico. This website uses cookies. Accident; Date: November 16, 1959: Summary: In-flight explosion (Bombing suspected, but not proven) Site: Gulf of Mexico Submissions should outline a mystery and provide a link to a more detailed review of the case such as a Wiki article or news report. The passenger manifest for Tampa-New Orleans listed 36passengers. I believe him lost in the crash.". This is also unexplained. On November 16, 1959, an airplane vanished over the Gulf of Mexico, with 42 people onboard. 8840'W. The car belonged to a man named Al Taylor, a longtime friend of Dr Spears, who had been the best man at his wedding. Interchange flights like this were fairly common before the CAB awarded more direct routes beginning with the Southeast to West Coast case in 1961. 1 adult. Investigators were divided on whether the aircraft broke apart on impact with the water, or exploded in the air before it went down. The theory arose that Spears, desperate to avoid trial and wanting a fresh start, had tricked Taylor (perhaps through hypnosis)[1] into boarding the aircraft with a piece of luggage containing a bomb; when the aircraft crashed, it would be assumed that Spears was on board. The history of the original National Airlines spanned nearly fifty years and during that time it The radar observer testified that this disappearance was characteristic of a target going below the scope's limits. National Airlines Flight 967, registration N4891C,[1] was a Douglas DC-7B aircraft that disappeared over the Gulf of Mexico en route from Tampa, Florida, to New Orleans, Louisiana, on November 16, 1959. Questions also surround the third man involved in all this--William Turska, the naturopath who Spears went to stay with in the immediate aftermath of the crash. This consisted of fragmented bits of upholstery, soundproofing material, cabin linings, scat cushions and backs, metallic parts of seats attached to and buoyed by these cushions and backs, overhead racks and other light items not essential to the structural integrity of the aircraft. Track American Airlines (AA) #967 flight from Austin-Bergstrom Intl to Dallas-Fort Worth Intl. All 42 onboard were presumed killed in the accident.The flight originated in Miami at 10:22 PM the previous evening, landed at Tampa at 11:00 PM . "Turska was the one to fear, not Bob, Mrs Spears once said. With the time and funds available it was possible to cover only 29.75square miles of an area selected after an analysis of wind and current factors and the results of all previous searches. -, Press J to jump to the feed. BITTERN searched separate areas using Navy sonar. A check by the company at this time showed that FAA, New Orleans Approach Control, and ARTC were also out of contact with Flight967. It was also convenient for National Airlines. Spears himself apparently admitted to having met with this man in New York City. * Boeing 727-235 Dr Spears (who was calling himself Dr Rhodes) had tried to file down the numbers on the cars registration numbers and had even used dynamite to damage the car's crankcase. Associate Procurement Agent. According to the hotel staff, Taylor was talking about boarding a flight to Dallas--the waitress specifically remembered making small talk about Dallas. Weather conditions in the area were poor, which meant that the crew had . Despite intensive searches over the following months and years by the Coast Guard, Civil Aeronautics Board, the US Navy, the US Fish and Wildlife Service and private companies--the rest of the wreckage has never been found. Yet as Logan points out, the crate of dynamite found on Turskas property was actually purchased in Tucson, and Spears had no way of getting into Tuscon from Turska's compound unless Turska himself drove him. [citation needed], Spears was eventually arrested in Phoenix after being turned in by the ex-wife a fellow naturopath in Arizona. National Airlines Flight 967 took off from Tampa (TPA) at 23:32 for a flight to New Orleans (MSY) at FL140. Flight crew []. The Civil Aeronautics Board (predecessor of the NTSB) did not find a probable cause for the accident due to the lack of evidence. * Lockheed Super H Constellation It may be possible that the stop was in Dallas during the time of the crash. Absolutely fascinating mystery. No suggestion of unfamiliarity by National crews of Delta interchange aircraft was found during the investigation. All 42 on board were presumed killed in the incident. All 42 occupants perished. Three days before the crash, (the day Spears had arrived in Tampa) Taylor and Spears were seen together enjoying a lavish meal in the Hillsboro Hotel. Probably one of the most intriguing cases Ive read here, what a great write up OP! In compliance with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) requirements, some of these records are no longer in the physical possession of the FBI, eliminating the FBI's capability to re-review and/or re-process this material. It was determined that Taylor had boarded the flight using a ticket issued for Spears. He was charged with three felony accounts and was set to stand trial in Los Angeles on December 3, 1959. Without an aircraft, this was no easy task. With more than 800 employees worldwide, the National Family offers rewarding opportunities for professional growth through our affiliate organizations National Air Cargo and National Airlines.We invite you to become a part of our award-winning team, and contribute to meaningful work in aviation, transportation, and global logistics. - February 11, 1952, a DC-6 crashed near Newark Airport, killing 29 out of 63 people on board. . It turned out he had a long criminal record--a string of confidence schemes, forgery, and thefts under a variety of aliases. The National crew consisted of Captain Frank Eugene Todd, Copilot Dick Sheridan Beebee, Flight Engineer George Henry Clark, Jr., Stewardesses Patricia Ann Hires and Donna Jean Osburn, and additional crew member Jack Atkinson of the Federal Aviation Agency. National Airlines Flight 967. There was no radio message of impending trouble. Track National Aeronautics and Space Administration #967 flight from Victoria Rgnl to Houston Ellington Flight status, tracking, and historical data for National Aeronautics and Space Administration 967 (NASA967) including scheduled, estimated, and actual departure and arrival times. We partner with our EMS and hospital customers to solve the challenges of patient logistics and save lives. Turska? Debt collectors got involved--suddenly "every repo man in America" was looking for a pink Plymouth. Nothing unusual was observed and no other objects were observed in the vicinity of the flight which indicated to the station that any difficulty was being encountered". Goodness, I'm on the wrong plane!" She put it bluntly to the Dallas Morning News: "I believe that Spears hypnotized [Taylor] into doing it.". This position is six miles south and about five miles east of the radar-observed descent. 2004. The Board, with the aid of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, has thoroughly investigated Mr. Someone connected to the abortion case? - November 3, 1973, a DC-10 had an uncontained failure of Engine #3, as a result of flight crew experimentation, shrapnel penetrated other engines and fuselage, broke window, 1 seat-belted passenger was forced from the plane and killed. ", Tampa International Airport, FL (TPA/KTPA), New Orleans International Airport, LA (MSY/KMSY), Accident investigation report completed and information captured, 57 km (35.6 mls) E off Pilottown, LA [Gulf of Mexico] (. This all changed two months after the crash, on January 20, 1960, when Robert Vernon Spears was arrested in Phoenix, Arizona, in possession of a stolen car--a salmon-pink Plymouth. November 16, 1959: National Airlines Flight 967 on a flight from Tampa, Florida to New Orleans crashed into the Gulf of Mexico. The only noteworthy observation from the gate agent in Tampa was "a man in a brown or tan suit, carrying a newspaper but no luggage, hurrying toward the Flight 967 gate right at closing time". I don't think Dr. Spears nor Taylor planned it/caused it, but Spears decided to take advantage of it after hearing what had happened. The former Mrs Taylor was becoming increasingly frantic. [] Both men were in the confidence rackets at one time. Planes, especially larger passenger ones, were still fairly new back then-- they were still figuring out the kinks. Low stratus and fog in the area from Mobile to New Orleans and at the New Orleans terminal would have caused the destination to be below limits at the estimated time of arrival. He asked her not to tell Junior this. The main section of the wreckage has never been found despite the efforts of Navy and Coast Guard divers. The condition of the bodies and wreckage all fit too-- the plane ends up in tiny pieces (basically whatever floats). Spirit airlines began offering the direct flights in 2017. The bodies were stripped of clothing and revealed severe burns, he said. Mrs Taylor recalled that Dr Spears had held an unnatural sway over her former husband. Best write up Ive ever read. I wonder how long it took the police to find out about all these shady characters. Tampa Police Detective John C. Daniels was among those who did not buy the hypnosis theory: Taylor was in debt over his head. Spears disagreed with the characterization of himself as a sinister hypnotic puppetmaster. Flight 967 was an interchange flight between three carriers; through plane service from Miami to Los Angeles. None of these nine persons had been subjected to fire or smoke before death, as demonstrated by low carboxyhemoglobin levels in blood and tissue. Investigators found less than 1% of its structural components and no conclusive evidence that a bomb was used. Predictive technology to strengthen customer trust in your operations. As Logan points out, in the first three weeks of 1960 alone there had been four major airline crashes. Incredible write-up! November 5 After suffering an in-flight engine fire, the second North American X-15 (AF 56-6671), piloted by Scott Crossfield, breaks its Back making an emergency landing on Rosamond Dry Lake, California. Pensacola replied by delivering a clearance to Flight967, which stipulated that it was cleared from NL1 direct to the MSY (New Orleans) omni via the 116-degree radial, and to descend and maintain 6,000feet at the pilot's discretion. Investigation has disclosed certain details in regard to a last minute boarding of the aircraft at Tampa by a person using another person's ticket. Taylor's body was not among those recovered. 46 people perished. I want to mention one thing; you are a class act for the ending. And that they happened to know a seedy lawyer who (allegedly) blew himself up a month later? National Airlines Flight 967 Part 01.PDF PDF document, 25,417 kB (26,027,901 bytes) From January 9, 1960 to January 15, 1960, the U.S.S. - January 14, 1951, a DC-4 crashed on landing at Philadelphia Airport with 7 fatalities. The conclusion of the Official CAB Accident Report (June 11, 1962): The Board, with the aid of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, has thoroughly investigated Mr Spears activities in order to determine whether they might have had any bearing upon the accident. She called Spearss wife (who was still grieving at that time) and asked if she had seen or heard from Taylor. I loathed him, she said, and had always considered him a bad influence on Al. Spears disappeared after the accident but was arrested in Phoenix, Arizona, with Taylor's car in January, 1960. At its height, National Airlines had a network of "Coast-to-Coast-to-Coast" flights, linking Florida and the Gulf Coast with cities along the East Coast and large . This position is about 108miles east-southeast of New Orleans, about 30miles east of Pilottown, near the mouth of the Mississippi River, and very nearly on the planned course. National Airlines Flight 967, registration N4891C, was a Douglas DC-7B aircraft that disappeared over the Gulf of Mexico en route from Tampa, Florida, to New Orleans, Louisiana, on November 16, 1959. This debris included parts of seats, parts of overhead racks, upholstery, items of clothing, parts of leather suitcases, shoes, a pack of cigarettes. Explosive decompression makes a plane crash look like the plane was blown up with a large bomb, but minus any larger pieces of wreckage as well as explosive residue proving it. National Airlines merged with Pan Am in 1980. To have a definitive answer I would have to do research that I am far too tired for at the moment, but I wanted to relay what little information I could think of before I passed out and forgot to come back and do it. A radar-observed descent was close to Lat. These charts have been preserved for possible future use. Spears died in Baylor Medical Center, Dallas on May 2, 1969 of coronary thrombosis. In fact, he had vanished on November 16, 1959 - the very same day that airplane went down in the Gulf. The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by: National Airlines Flight 967 took off from Tampa (TPA) at 23:32 for a flight to New Orleans (MSY) at FL140. This dialogue will close in 60 seconds or you can click the exit icon in the top right corner to go back to the flight map immediately. There was one witness--the attendant of a lookout tower 30 miles west of the crash site, who. It appeared that the oil was rising from the northernmost point of this oil slick. Spears had a long history of crime, having been arrested 17 times under 14 different aliases. Sun 4/2. He did not log the incident. As it turned out, William Turska was not a model citizen himself. However, Taylor himself purchased $37,500.00 worth of life insurance at the airport; when his ex-wife attempted to collect on that policy, authorities were notified. * Convair CV-440 Taylor also wanted to go to Dallas, to see a doctor about a neck injury, and to get away from his irritating ex-wife. The next morning (November 14), Taylor and Spears were together again--Taylors son Junior saw them drinking and laughing in Spearss hotel room, in a celebratory mood. This dialogue will close in 60 seconds or you can click the exit icon in the top right corner to go back to the flight map immediately. National Airlines Flight 967, a DC-7B on a flight from Tampa, Florida to New Orleans, crashed into the Gulf of Mexico. [Note: this post is largely based on information from Self-Styled: Chasing Dr Robert Vernon Spears by Alan C. Logan. I'm from New Orleans and have flown to Tampa several times. By using and further navigating this website, you accept this. He also told them that "after he left I found a case of hidden dynamite". . D.B. In this interview, he told a completely different story about what had happened. A problem was discovered (broken window . At 1:16 AM, company radio attempted to contact Flight 967 to no avail; attempts by FAA en route facilities, New Orleans Approach Control, and air traffic control were unable to raise the flight. Although sabotage was suspected, no definite cause of the crash was determined . Great post! (If any were available prior to my introduction to flying, though, I can't be sure.) The aircraft was a DC-7, N4891C, owned by Delta Air Lines and operated by National under an equipment interchange agreement. Taylor would fly and Spears would drive. Compare airfares and book tickets with lowest price on different airlines in real time 24 hours. When she read that Dr Robert Spears had been a victim of the air disaster, she became even more curious. Over the course of their long friendship, Spears and Taylor had worked together on confidence schemes throughout the USA. So, I think he spun a couple different stories to see if any if them fit enough to get in the least amount of trouble. Crew qualifications and experience were amply high in all respects and an investigation disclosed no irregularity in this connection. Frank E. Todd of Miami, the pilot, radioed his last message at 12:44a.m. A Spirit Airlines flight from Dallas to Orlando was diverted to an airport in Jacksonville, Fla., Thursday, March 2, 2023, after a battery from a passenger's item caught fire in an overhead bin . https://en.wikisource.org/w/index.php?title=Aviation_Accident_Report:_National_Airlines_Flight_967&oldid=9238655. However, Taylor purchased life insurance in his own name at the airport before departure; when his ex-wife applied to collect, the substitution was discovered. GitHub export from English Wikipedia. November 16 - National Airlines Flight 967, a Douglas DC-7B, crashes into the Gulf of Mexico while on a flight from Tampa, Florida, to New Orleans, Louisiana, in a possible case of sabotage; all 40 on board perish. As he said in a recent interview: "The more that I learned through the research about Spears, even though this guy had an incredibly profound criminal past [] he never had any history of violence at all. Capt. A strong sharp contact, definitely bottom and metallic, was made at position 2911.6'N, 8838.2'W at a depth of 245feet. Mrs Spears replied that she had not. It was then observed to turn right approximately 70 degrees and disappear from the scope at 0051 at Lat. arrow_forward Literature guides Concept explainers Writing guide Popular textbooks Popular high school textbooks Popular Q&A Business Accounting Economics Finance Leadership Management Marketing Operations Management Engineering Bioengineering Chemical Engineering Civil Engineering Computer Engineering Computer Science Electrical Engineering . He was arrested for assault and battery for his wife in 1971. Braniff International Airways Flight 542, a Lockheed L-188 Electra, registration N9705C, was a scheduled domestic flight from Houston, Texas, bound for New York with scheduled stops in Dallas and Washington, D.C. On September 29, 1959, 23 minutes into the 41-minute flight from Houston to Dallas Love Field, the aircraft disintegrated in mid-air approximately 3.8 miles (6.1 km) southeast of . 1. Curiously, Al Taylor had recently been reported missing. Veterans, volunteers sought for Honor Flight It costs a lot to charter a flight that will carry 75 veterans from the Golden Isles to Washington, D.C., for the annual Honor Flight. This is evident by the lack of any unusual radio messages. The inertia of the bodies was plainly downward and forward and the forces at impact were severe. In 1964, it became the first exclusively jet powered service in the United States, and by 1970 became the third airline to offer transcontinental passenger flights. Spears said: If the business did detonate during the flight, it had to be by accident [] Im still of the opinion that the plane--something else happened to it. Spears had been a close friend of her husband, and she had never considered him to be a good influence. We deliver industry-leading performance in safety, clinical quality, and patient advocacy, committing to zero balance bills. After several decades of false names, new identities, fresh starts, abandoned wives, abandoned lives--he had spent the last years running "a lucrative underground abortion business". Among the 42 names of the dead--there was a passenger named Dr Robert Vernon Spears--a distinguished naturopath from Dallas, Texas. At 0034 the flight reported over NL1 at 0033 at 14,000feet, estimating New Orleans at 0119. As for the insurance policy taken out by Taylor, Spears said: Taylor was sort of a nut on insurance. Throughout this observation the radar scope indicated no other object. His story is absurd, the prosecutor said. It may safely be concluded that there was no warning of the disaster. There were no apparent problems with the plane's operating equipment, no apparent discrepancies in the maintenance records, nothing mechanical which could "reasonably be linked to this accident". All times herein are Central Standard based on the 24-hour clock. Full-screen FlightAware TV maps for operators or FBOs. +6 Mr Frank? His wife would then cash in an insurance policy for $100,000 on Spears' life. Some twelve to fifteen minutes later a Coast Guard aircraft arrived and dropped smoke markers. Precision Air sales officer Yvonne Baldwin said the route had enormous potential, and will shorten travel times between the two countries which until now were via Nairobi in Kenya. Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. DL967 Flight Tracker - Track the real-time flight status of Delta Air Lines DL 967 live using the FlightStats Global Flight Tracker. The mafia? I told him it wouldn't work!". These were determined, the aircraft were spiralled down to the same site, and the bearings were radioed to the Coast Guard and plotted on their charts as 2907'N and 8833'W. [2] There was no evidence of any connection between Spears and the accident. Sun 4/9. The main wreckage has not been located despite several well planned searches. Just a few years before, Logan writes, on Valentine's Day 1953, a National Airlines flight on the very same run--from Tampa to New Orleans--also plunged into the Gulf. Geo resource failed to load. - February 14, 1953, a DC-6 crashed into the Gulf of Mexico off Mobile, AL. but he would have had to have done some rushing to get aboard the plane because it taxied away at 12:25 am. After this case, planes continued to disintegrate in flight due to explosive decompression. The flight had been on its way from Tampa, Florida, to New Orleans. The unplanned water landing caught everyone . Without the planes black box, it is impossible to rule this out. [1][2][3] In February 1960, Spears was convicted of interstate transportation of a stolen car (Taylor's Plymouth). * Douglas DC-4 It is really unfortunate the wreckage was never discovered. The second radar station at Houma, Louisiana, picked up the flight at 0046, on track and at 14,000feet altitude. Contact Us. I am not a shill but it is an interesting book.]. Suicide by a passenger holding large life insurance policies was the probable cause. The media, of course, went straight to Dr Spearss wife. Members of the party hunting in the shark-infested waters for bodies believe there was an explosion. The sea was practically calm with waves about 1-1/2feet high moving from a northerly direction with a period of about five seconds. She was an unflappable woman in her late fifties, with a fondness for ostentatious feathered hats, pearl necklaces, and large brooches. One passenger, William Taylor, had boarded the flight using a ticket issued to Robert Vernon Spears, a convicted criminal working at the time as a naturopath. National Airlines Flight967 of November 15, 1959, was scheduled between Miami, Florida, and New Orleans, Louisiana, with a stop at Tampa, Florida. Logan alleges "Turska was planning his own exit strategy" before the crash--in September 1959 he had put up his Arizona property for sale: "priced to sell, owner leaving state". If Dr Spears was somehow responsible for both incidents, that would make him responsible for the loss of 76 lives, making him one of the most prolific killers in American history.

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