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. The flight had been on its way from Tampa, Florida, to New Orleans. American Airlines Flight 320 was a scheduled flight between Chicago Midway International Airport and New York City's LaGuardia Airport.On February 3, 1959, the Lockheed L-188 Electra performing the flight crashed into the East River during its descent and approach to LaGuardia Airport, killing 65 of the 73 people on board. Replies analysing and speculating over the mystery and possible explanations are encouraged. As Logan points out, in the first three weeks of 1960 alone there had been four major airline crashes. Register now (free) for customized features, flight alerts, and more! She later determined that Taylors brown jacket was missing from his apartment, though everything else seemed untouched, just as if he had stepped out to buy a newspaper. 2912.3'N, Long. National Airlines Flight 967. Police seriously looked into the possibility that Al Taylor may still be alive, even working with Mexican law enforcement to explore the possibility that he had fled south of the border. -, Press J to jump to the feed. Boeing 747-400BCF National Airlines N702CA Scale 1/400 XX4975. Unfortunately, these searches were not successful. For most of its existence the company was headquartered at Miami International Airport, Florida. [Note: this post is largely based on information from Self-Styled: Chasing Dr Robert Vernon Spears by Alan C. Logan. See if your flight has been delayed or cancelled and track the live position on a map. Texas International walked away from their foiled attempt with a multi-million dollar stock profit and was poised for Lorenzo's next venturesa startup airline in the high-density East coast corridor (New York Air), and subsequent acquisition of Continental Airlines. Two military radar stations had the flight under surveillance. According to the Senior Passenger Agent for National Airlines, there were no established procedures in 1959 for determining if a reporting passenger was the same person for whom the reservation was made. All 42 on board were presumed killed in the incident. Examination of the liferafts and lifevests indicated that they had not been used for their intended purposes or prepared for such use, and all damage had been accidental and random. You received a Purple Heart on or after September 11, 2001, and were honorably discharged after any amount of service, or. Forty-two people were on board, and less than 1% of the wreckage was recovered. The ultimate flight tracking suite for small aircraft/general aviation (GA) owners and operators. She ultimately succeeded, and her son Junior received an undisclosed settlement. This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Networks opinion as to the cause of the accident. Geo resource failed to load. A mystery woman told a local Tampa newspaper that she had had a relationship with Taylor shortly before his disappearance, and did not believe he was dead. This new story was made public in 1963. Track National Aeronautics and Space Administration #967 flight from Houston Ellington to Victoria Rgnl. A strong sharp contact, definitely bottom and metallic, was made at position 2911.6'N, 8838.2'W at a depth of 245feet. National Airlines was a United States airline that operated from 1934 to 1980. But even then there would be no point in destroying the plane or himself. Coast Guard vessels suggested searching an area some distance to the southwest of the position 2913'N, 8840'W. Ronald Reagan National Airport. Investigators determined that the flight crew was competent and experienced. It's possible it was not a direct flight, and the next leg would have been from NO to Dallas. On January 6, 1960 (less than two months after Flight 967) Frank was on board a National Airlines flight which was blown up by dynamite over North Carolina, resulting in 34 deaths. Spectacular job. I think it's because "my friend took my ticket last minute under my name, but when I heard the plane exploded, i decided to duck out and start a new life because not only am i a con man, I was in big trouble for illegal abortions too" doesn't make for a convincing story. While circling in this general area, several bodies were sighted as well as one liferaft that had been broken out of its case but was not inflated and appeared to be about three-fourths submerged. Taylor also wanted to go to Dallas, to see a doctor about a neck injury, and to get away from his irritating ex-wife. Spear's activities in order to determine whether they might have had a bearing upon the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time. DC-7 [] Template . Early that morning, they spotted something: a small amount of debris, a large oil slick, and several floating bodies. A theory also emerged that Spears was connected to another unexplained air disaster just months later. ASSURANCE and the U.S.S. Don't have an account? * Douglas DC-7B 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. Quickly purchase historical reports delivered via email. Thank you for the great write-up. A reporter happened to be in her home at the time. Yeah, it's kinda sad (and annoying) that such a good read isn't inspiring much in the way of discussion hardly at all. Thanks for writing this all up. Before the crash, Spears had briefly sought advice on his pending abortion case from a New York City lawyer named Julian Frank. At first, Turska downplayed his association with Spears, saying they were merely acquaintances and that Spears had showed up out of the blue. Please note . Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Remember Julian Frank, the corrupt lawyer who allegedly blew up the other aircraft? ASSURANCE sailed on November 19, 1959, for position 3907'N - 8833'W relieving the Coast Guard Cutter NIKE, which had been standing by. 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. She put it bluntly to the Dallas Morning News: "I believe that Spears hypnotized [Taylor] into doing it.". According to Logans book, Mrs Taylor was media savvy, and exaggerated her closeness with Taylor before his disappearance. Some twelve to fifteen minutes later a Coast Guard aircraft arrived and dropped smoke markers. Feb 2023 - Present2 months. * Douglas DC-6B Current weather reports and forecasts showed both destination and alternates to be and to remain above the approved minimums. 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. [] Both men were in the confidence rackets at one time. 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. In spite of this string of suspicious details, the airplane was still missing, therefore there was no hope of charging Spears with anything relating to the crash. All times herein are Central Standard based on the 24-hour clock. The aircraft remained unreported. Suicide by a passenger holding large life insurance policies was the probable cause. In 1964, it became the first exclusively jet powered service in the United States . Franks body was found with injuries significantly different from and much more extensive than the other passengers, injuries which were inconsistent with the type of injury usually incurred in an aircraft accident. To qualify for the Post-9/11 GI Bill, at least one of these must be true: You served at least 36 months on active duty (either all at once or with breaks in service) and were honorably discharged, or. If it had been, I doubt there would be much mystery as to what happened. Meanwhile she campaigned in the courts to have him declared legally dead (which would give her son access to the life insurance money). The U.S.S. Some of the bodies showed distinct evidence of burning on portions exposed above their waterlines. National Airlines Flight 967 Blogs, Comments and Archive News on Economictimes.com Aviation accidents and incidents in 1978 () Jan 1 Air India Flight 855; Playing upon people's uncertainties about air-travel, insurance companies did quite well off them. One or two airlines only recently started offering direct flights to Tampa. The mafia? Spears died in Baylor Medical Center, Dallas on May 2, 1969 of coronary thrombosis. - October 5, 1945, a Lockheed Lodestar crashed into a lake in Lakeland, Florida with two fatalities. She later said she had a premonition that her husband had been on that flight, and she never wavered from it. We have been unable to find any such relationship. Who knows, Taylor might show up one day, alive and healthy. Taylor, investigators discovered, was wanted in Washington DC and Philadephlia under a variety of assumed names at the time of his disappearance. Here are the names of the people from the flight manifest. The Coastguardsman on duty saw an unusual light in the sky at an angle which he estimated as about 15 degrees above the horizontal and in the general direction of where N4891C was lost and at about the time it was lost. operated a variety of different types of aircraft. * Boeing 727-035 +6 All employment decisions are made without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship, disability, military leave or veteran status, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable federal, state or local law. https://en.wikisource.org/w/index.php?title=Aviation_Accident_Report:_National_Airlines_Flight_967&oldid=9238655. "[citation needed]. The flight's next radio contact was with FAA Pensacola radio at 0031 requesting clearance to New Orleans and reestimating NL1 at 0035. At the heart of the book is the crash of National Airlines Flight 967, which plunged into the Gulf of Mexico on Nov. 16, 1959. Spears immediately said he had made the whole thing up after the reporter had pressured him to tell him something new. James L. Sigman, executive officer of the Coast Guard station at New Orleans, said the plane might have exploded when it struck the water. It has been claimed that Dr Spears tried to access a vial of cyanide before his sentencing--but some have disputed this. First week only $4.99! A Delta Airlines DC-7, similar to the accident aircraft, Learn how and when to remove these template messages, introducing citations to additional sources, Learn how and when to remove this template message, List of accidents and incidents involving commercial aircraft, Robert Spears, 1959 bomb suspect, dies in Dallas, Civil Aeronautics Board Aircraft Accident Report on Flight 967, Clear Lake crash ("The Day the Music Died"), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=National_Airlines_Flight_967&oldid=1123344434, Accidents and incidents involving the Douglas DC-7, Airliner accidents and incidents in the United States, Aviation accidents and incidents in the Atlantic Ocean, Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States in 1959, National Airlines (19341980) accidents and incidents, Unsolved mass murders in the United States, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from September 2021, All articles needing additional references, Articles lacking in-text citations from September 2021, Articles with multiple maintenance issues, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2015, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, In-flight explosion (Bombing suspected, but not proven), This page was last edited on 23 November 2022, at 06:57. Fri, 26 May 23. The Coast Guard favored the former explanation, while the Air Force favored the latter. "We don't get newspapers out here, he told reporters. Water temperatures in the vicinity of the crash were 70 degrees or more. National Airlines Flight 967, registration N4891C, was a Douglas DC7B aircraft that disappeared over the Gulf of Mexico en route from Tampa, Florida to New Orleans, Louisiana on November 16, 1959. He estimates that the white trail took three or four seconds to go "straight down," and that the initial red flash was "almost as big as the sun." The aircraft was a DC-7, N 4891C, owned by Delta Air Lines and operated by National under an equipment interchange agreement. The day before the fateful flight, Taylor had visited his ex-wife Alice Steel Taylor at her home, looking for their adult son Junior, who wasnt home. Without an aircraft, this was no easy task. All 42 on board were presumed killed in the incident. 2910'N, and Long. Great write up! This air traffic control instruction/clearance was issued through National Airlines' radio station/office at Pensacola, Florida, a normal procedure before making the approach to Moisant International Airport (KMSY) in New Orleans. The flight accepted the clearance and stated it would remain at 14,000feet a little longer. Frank was covered by $900,000 in life insurance policies at the time of his death, and had also been under investigation for corruption. He had hypnotized his own wife for the births of their children. Without the planes black box, it is impossible to rule this out. The Flightpath. Two dozen books on hypnosis had been found in Spears's home in Dallas. 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. Our global headquarters is situated in Orlando FL, with several operational hubs across the globe in Buffalo NY, Chicago IL, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Madrid, Dubai, Djibouti, Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai. The last radar contact with the aircraft--made at 12:55 am, over the open sea--had indicated the plane was still on course to its destination at the time that it vanished. Coscto also reported a Q2 net sales increase of 6.5%, to $54.24 . Lowest fares guaranteed on flights from Dubai to Toronto by Skycraft Air Transport. By using and further navigating this website, you accept this. The main wreckage has not been located . National Airlines operated the first two legs between Miami and Tampa, and Tampa and New Orleans. 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 Part 01.PDF PDF document, 25,417 kB (26,027,901 bytes) 18cm Wingspan approx. For weeks Dr Spears was mourned along with the rest of the victims. I believe him lost in the crash.". saw an unusual light in the sky [] in the general direction of where [the flight] was lost and at about the time it was lost [] the light was red or dark red, appearing suddenly, lasting a couple of seconds then producing a vertical white light which fell with a white trail [] the initial red flash was almost as big as the sun. If there was, did it come before or after the crash? There have been dozens of plane crashes due to explosive decompression. It continued on a track of 296 degrees magnetic for a few minutes, then turned right to a heading of approximately 010 degrees and disappeared from the scope at 12:51 AM. (These bearings could be duplicated at low altitude; the VOR bearings could not be, due to line-of-sight limitations.). Subsequent investigation has failed to reveal the use of any marine signal flash or pyrotechnic, which might have had a somewhat similar appearance, at the time and place. Summary 185 Max talks about columnist Martha Lunken's flight under a bridge, which led to the revocation of her certificates. One of these was not aboard, although a final passenger count showed 36passengers upon departure from Tampa. Start your trial now! Otherwise, the loading of the aircraft was normal with the center of gravity located within prescribed limits and the gross weight some 11,000pounds under maximum permissible for takeoff. She called Spearss wife (who was still grieving at that time) and asked if she had seen or heard from Taylor. The FBI then tracked him down through surveillance. The unplanned water landing caught everyone . In that interview, Turska said he now thought Spears had been lying to hm, and implied Spears's wife was in on the whole scam--accusing her of faking her reaction to seeing him. Spirit airlines began offering the direct flights in 2017. The Civil Aeronautics Board (predecessor of the NTSB) did not find a probable cause for the accident due to the lack of evidence. Taylor apparently then he called his boss at the tire company and asked for the next day off work. All 42 on board were presumed killed in the incident. He was not a licensed MD, and his license to practice naturopathy had been revoked in 1957. Absolutely fascinating mystery. During this period an underwater television camera was lowered twice on the contact from the VIGOR but only marine life was observed. His wife, who had recently given birth to twins, even collected a partial payout from his $120,000 life insurance policy. Track planes in real-time on our flight tracker map and get up-to-date flight status & airport information. And who was he? 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. Frank E. Todd of Miami, the pilot, radioed his last message at 12:44a.m. He was charged with three felony accounts and was set to stand trial in Los Angeles on December 3, 1959. PROBABLE CAUSE: "Because of the lack of physical evidence, the probable cause of this accident is unknown. However, the Clearfield, Pennsylvania, Progress speculated in its Nov. 17, 1959, edition that the aircraft may have been brought down by a bomb: "Was there an explosion aboard the National Airlines DC-7B liner that crashed in the Gulf of Mexico Monday with 42 persons aboard? Intensive sea and air searches resulted in finding ten floating bodies and a small amount of floating debris the following morning. 8840'W. BITTERN searched separate areas using Navy sonar. [] for all those decades and all the different things they got up to. You can help us keep FlightAware free by allowing ads from FlightAware.com. National Airlines flight 193 lies partially submerged in the shallow waters of Escambia Bay in Pensacola. BOLIVIA, N.C. (WECT) - Shortly after 2:31 a.m. on Jan. 6, 1960, the peaceful night sky over the mouth of the Cape Fear River was rocked by a large blast. The bodies were stripped of clothing and revealed severe burns, he said. The FBI got involved. The pilot planned to conduct solo aerobatic flight manoeuvres in the I personally think the plane wasn't blown up with explosives or there was any foul play. 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. According to the Nov. 17, 1959, edition of the New York Times, I. W. Dymond, vice president of operations for the airline, said the weather "was anticipated, but it was not a factor" in the crash. I cant believe I dont remember the name but the one where the guy hijacked the plane and parachuted out over Washington state? As he was leaving the courthouse after his first hearing, he was observed to be whistling. But two Air Force fliers who spent four hours over the scene said because the wreckage was so scattered it seemed to them the plane exploded in the air. Acknowledging "there is little or no physical evidence on which to explain this accident", the CAB was forced to conclude, after nearly three years of investigation: Because of lack of physical evidence, the probable cause of this accident is unknown. Although sabotage was suspected, no definite cause of the crash was determined. This aircraft was flown to Tampa then out the NL route toward New Orleans to the position of 2913'N, 8840'W, at an altitude of 14,000feet. The car belonged to a man named Al Taylor, a longtime friend of Dr Spears, who had been the best man at his wedding. Logan says Taylors ex-wife was media-savvy--and points out that she had a potential financial motive to portray Taylor as an unwitting passenger on that flight. 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. Boeing. At 00:55 the aircraft suddenly crashed into the Gulf of Mexico. A rival airline company? 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. * C-46 Commando Lt. James L. Sigman, executive officer of the Coast Guard air detachment at New Orleans, said the wreckage was spread over a comparatively small area of two to three miles. Sun 4/9. The theory of a Svengalian puppet master was convenient not just for the former Mrs Taylor. The search was resumed on November 26, 1959, to the south and west of the previous area based upon drift studies of recovered debris. Weather conditions in the area were poor, which meant that the crew had . The flight departed Miami at 2212[1] and landed at Tampa at 2300. [1], Investigators learned that William Taylor, a fellow felon and longtime criminal accomplice of Spears,[1] had boarded Flight 967 using a ticket made out to "Dr. 65 years old at the time of the crash, he had been the national secretary of the National Association of Naturopathic Physicians and the head of the Texas Naturopath Association. Everyone loved the read as the comments here suggest and so did I but does anyone have a theory they favor? That crash remains officially unexplained also. . Franks body was found with injuries significantly different from and much more extensive than the other passengers, injuries which were inconsistent with the type of injury usually incurred in an aircraft accident. 432 in 1951, 905 in 1955, 1041 in 1960, 2663 in 1965, 2643 in 1970, 3865 in 1975. 16cm . Air Route Traffic Control cleared Flight967 over the established route across the Gulf from Tampa to New Orleans at 14,000feet altitude. A careful search was made for witnesses. A subreddit dedicated to the unresolved mysteries of the world. This search was also unsuccessful. 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". See if your flight has been delayed or cancelled and track the live position on a map. Al Taylor asked him to drive the Plymouth to Dallas where they were scheduled to meet up. [Some context here: In the 50s, life insurance vending machines were commonplace in airports. CAB Accident Report, National Airlines Flight 967.pdf 1,091 1,4818 556 George T Baker 1940.jpg 600 49636 MM00013951 (8091335494) (2).jpg 1,259 1,371428 The National crew consisted of Captain Frank Eugene Todd, Copilot Dick . I wonder how long it took the police to find out about all these shady characters. But where had he been? Though he was legally dead, many had begun to doubt that Taylor was ever on that flight at all. But they don't agree on when it occurred. The media, of course, went straight to Dr Spearss wife. A FedEx plane was only about 150 feet off the ground when its pilots realized a Southwest jet was in the process of taking off on the same runway, and aborted its landing to avoid a potentially . The second radar station at Houma, Louisiana, picked up the flight at 0046, on track and at 14,000feet altitude. 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". The Civil Aeronautics Board investigated the cause of the crash. 2004. As Mrs Spears described it, "He saw an opportunity to leave me and the babies with some financial security. 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". C. L. McGAVERN, Jacksonville, Florida, RENFRO (no first name), arrived from Orlando, JACK ATKINSON, Miami Springs, an inspector for the Federal Aviation Agency, Self-Styled: Chasing Dr Robert Vernon Spears by Alan C. Logan, Civil Aeronautics Board - Aircraft Accident Report, June 11, 1962, Robert Spears, 1959 bomb suspect, dies in Dallas". 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. If the plane had any larger parts recoverable, they might have been able to tell if dynamite was the cause by examining residues or scorch marks. She was an unflappable woman in her late fifties, with a fondness for ostentatious feathered hats, pearl necklaces, and large brooches. Flight crew []. There are a thousand ways of connecting the dots, and a thousand other explanations out there. Search and rescue aircraft spotted scattered debris and a number of bodies in the vicinity of the last radar return, about 35 miles east of Pilottown, Louisiana; the remains of 10 individuals were eventually located. 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. 8839'W on March 11, 1960, but the XN3 TV camera revealed it to be marine wreckage. 8839'W. He added that the passengers apparently had no warning to don lifebelts, as only one life preserver was found among the debris. From March3 through13,1960, the U.S.S. [5], "Con Man, Best Man, An Air Crash - A Far Out, Far Up Mystery", "Robert Spears, 1959 bomb suspect, dies in Dallas", Aviation Safety Network report on Flight 967, Civil Aeronautics Board Aircraft Accident Report on Flight 967, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Robert_Spears_(naturopath)&oldid=1106844718, This page was last edited on 26 August 2022, at 19:28. 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. They had been divorced longer than she claimed, and the divorce had been far from amicable. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Turska participated in a few interviews about the case--notably in Life Magazine--in which he played the part of a bemused bystander. 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. National Airlines merged with Pan Am in 1980. Down the rabbit hole I go. Departure from Tampa, with the same crew, was at 2332. Frank was covered by $900,000 in life insurance policies at the time of his death, and had also been under investigation for corruption. There were nine bodies, a portion of a tenth body, five liferafts, five lifevests, and a highly diversified quantity of buoyant debris entirely from within the cabin and baggage compartments directly below it. We appreciate you trying our new Live Surface Map feature. This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. Spears disagreed with the characterization of himself as a sinister hypnotic puppetmaster. Shortly thereafter a Coast Guard helicopter arrived. At 0034 the flight reported over NL1 at 0033 at 14,000feet, estimating New Orleans at 0119. A B D Yes, they help protect natural wonders No, the National Park Service is a waste of federal funding Yes, national parks provided recreational activities and environmental education No, national parks should return the land to indigenous Americans 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".
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