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 . So why the stories from Spears? Pan Am paid too high a price for National, and was ill prepared to integrate National's domestic route network with Pan Am's own globe-girdling international network. He said he had persuaded Al Taylor to take the dynamite on the airplane by promising to pay him $10,000 to do it. It was founded in 1934 as a Florida-based airline. Capt. In this interview, he told a completely different story about what had happened. Spears himself apparently admitted to having met with this man in New York City. The U.S.S. One of these was not aboard, although a final passenger count showed 36passengers upon departure from Tampa. He was arrested for assault and battery for his wife in 1971. 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 . The FBI's FOIA Library contains many files of public interest and historical value. In a second interview, however, Turska told a different story. FlightAware provides accurate real-time, historical and predictive flight insights to all segments of the - February 11, 1952, a DC-6 crashed near Newark Airport, killing 29 out of 63 people on board. Mrs Spears said that when he came to see her, Spears was sad about Taylors death. By all accounts, he was in financial difficulties, and had many debts. A considerable amount of the floating debris also exhibited signs of burning but only above waterlines. It turned out Mr Taylor was not just a gullible friend of Dr Spears--he was a criminal himself, Spears partner in crime for many years. Everyone loved the read as the comments here suggest and so did I but does anyone have a theory they favor? First week only $4.99! 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. Although sabotage was suspected, no definite cause of the crash was determined. We partner with our EMS and hospital customers to solve the challenges of patient logistics and save lives. The United States Fish and Wild Life, M/VOREGON, searched for 24hours on December14 and 15, 1959, dragging a 35foot wide net over the botton at a position centered around Lat. One or two airlines only recently started offering direct flights to Tampa. Fri, 26 May 23. Searching continued through November23. Planes, especially larger passenger ones, were still fairly new back then-- they were still figuring out the kinks. The crew consisted of Captain William R. Broocke (age 54), employed by National Airlines since 1946, who had qualified to fly the DC-10 in 1972 and accumulated 21,853 flight hours in his career with 801 hours on the DC-10; First Officer Edward H. Saunders (33), employed by National Airlines since 1965, with 7,086 flight hours of which 445 hours were on the DC-10; and Flight . 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. Link. 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. 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. The aircraft was then spiralled over the spot down to an altitude of 500feet through a stratus deck with a base of approximately 800 feet, and tops of 1,200 to 1,400feet. 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. There injuries indicated that all nine persons had been seated at the time the aircraft struck the water. Aviation accidents and incidents in 1978 () Jan 1 Air India Flight 855; 18cm Wingspan approx. WOW! If it had been, I doubt there would be much mystery as to what happened. Thats another good one if youre not already familiar with it. Taylor would fly and Spears would drive. I loathed him, she said, and had always considered him a bad influence on Al. NH967 (All Nippon Airways) - Live flight status, scheduled flights, flight arrival and departure times, flight tracks and playback, flight route and airport The world's most popular flight tracker. A bomb was suspected. Spears had a long history of crime, having been arrested 17 times under 14 different aliases. Cooper? Self-employed. Robert Vernon Spears (June 26, 1894 May 2, 1969) was a naturopath who is alleged to have placed a bomb aboard National Airlines Flight 967, an aircraft that went missing over the Gulf of Mexico on November 16, 1959, killing 42 people. At 0034 the flight reported over NL1 at 0033 at 14,000feet, estimating New Orleans at 0119. 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. Another friend of Taylor reportedly told police that he had seen Al Taylor on Christmas Eve, 1959, in a crowd of Christmas shoppers in Nashville, Tennessee. I told him it wouldn't work!". It turned out he had a long criminal record--a string of confidence schemes, forgery, and thefts under a variety of aliases. Some small quantity of clothing and other personal effects and several mail bags were also found. None of these nine persons had been subjected to fire or smoke before death, as demonstrated by low carboxyhemoglobin levels in blood and tissue. Except for the land areas and coastal waters from Mobile westward, skies were virtually clear and visibility excellent. All floating debris and bodies were from one-half to two miles east and southeast of this oil slick. Flight status, tracking, and historical data for N967WN 02-Mar-2023 (KPVD-KDCA) including scheduled, estimated, and actual departure and arrival times. For weeks Dr Spears was mourned along with the rest of the victims. Investigation disclosed no significant weather condition in the form of fronts, squall lines, thunderstorms, turbulence or icing affecting the route of flight. United Airlines Flight 718, a DC-7, collided over the Grand Canyon with TWA Flight 2, an L-1049 Super Constellation, . 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. A tragic accident due to some unforeseen mechanical malfunction or even pilot error? Debt collectors got involved--suddenly "every repo man in America" was looking for a pink Plymouth. It was founded in 1934 as a Florida-based airline. 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". . His testimony indicates that the light was red or dark red, appearing suddenly, lasting a "couple of seconds," and then producing a vertical, white light which fell with a white trail. 967 (NASA967) 01-Mar-2023 (KEFD . While spiralling, radio contact was established with Coast Guard aircraft although no direct contact was possible with Coast Guard surface vessels due to the lack of compatible radio frequencies. I was completely drawn in. (Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives) On the 8th of May 1978, a National Airlines Boeing 727 was on approach to Pensacola, Florida when it suddenly touched down in Escambia Bay amid heavy fog. No seat belt abrasions were found. - November 16, 1959, a DC-7B flown on an interchange route with Delta Air Lines, in a Delta aircraft but with a NAL crew National Airlines Flight 967, en route from Tampa to New Orleans, disappeared over the Gulf of Mexico. It appeared that the oil was rising from the northernmost point of this oil slick. Down the rabbit hole I go. https://en.wikisource.org/w/index.php?title=Aviation_Accident_Report:_National_Airlines_Flight_967&oldid=9238655. National Airlines Flight 967 Blogs, Comments and Archive News on Economictimes.com A personalized flight-following experience with unlimited alerts and more. All 42occupants, 36passengers and 6crew members, were killed. Feb 2023 - Present2 months. National Air Security Operation Center (NASOC) Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Locations: (to include but not limited to the following locations) Sierra Vista, AZ; San Angelo, TX . I can understand him taking out an insurance policy. The FBI had found Dr Spears through an ex-wife of Spearss associate Mr Turska. He was subsequently apprehended by Federal authorities in Phoenix, Arizona, for having unlawful possession of Mr. Taylor's vehicle. Great post! I am not a shill but it is an interesting book.]. What a tangled web. In that interview, he said he knew about the plane crash, admitted taking Spears to see his wife, and said that Spears had confided in him that he wanted to start a new life: He wanted to change his character, Turska said, change his fingerprints, change everything.. 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 . Low frequency bearings were then taken on Grand Isle, on the New Orleans Range Station, and on the Mobile "H" facility, also from 14,000feet altitude. 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. IN THE GULF OF MEXICO, NOVEMBER 16, 1959. The flight had been on its way from Tampa, Florida, to New Orleans. 967. "Turska was the one to fear, not Bob, Mrs Spears once said. At this time the flight also contacted New Orleans company radio confirming the ATC clearance and reporting the weather to be CAVU with low solid (undercast) to the WNW. Get the FlightAware App for the best flight tracking experience on your device. But in 1957 he was expelled from the organization in a bribery scandal. Call 1-650-967-2500 for Cirrus purchase and training assistance, or to take my online seminar: So You Wa . Flight 967 Hardcover - January 1, 1963. and then hurry away, accidentally forgetting your luggage. In 1954 before this case, England lost several planes to it within months of each other, thanks to metal fatigue causing the decompressions. [] for all those decades and all the different things they got up to. As he was leaving the courthouse after his first hearing, he was observed to be whistling. The company posted $1.027 billion in membership fee income compared to $967 million a year earlier, a $60 million increase, or 6.2%. Headwinds of about 15 to 20knots at the filed flight altitude of 14,000feet were forecast. 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. BITTERN searched separate areas using Navy sonar. Grapples were used and a variety of objects were recovered but none could be related to the aircraft. It was also convenient for National Airlines. * Boeing 727-235 She ultimately succeeded, and her son Junior received an undisclosed settlement. November 10 of 1958, National became the first airline to introduce domestic jet service in the United States, with a flight between Miami 's international airport and Idlewild International Airport in New York. +6 He ran unsuccessfully for Idaho County Coroner in 1972 on the Republican ticket. Members of the party hunting in the shark-infested waters for bodies believe there was an explosion. This is evident by the lack of any unusual radio messages. Select the responses you agree with. This indicated to him that the explosion took place after the plane hit the water. The flight departed Miami at 2212[1] and landed at Tampa at 2300. 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. Dr Spears lived in an affluent suburb of Dallas, and he and his wife were relatively well-known in the citys social circles. Over the course of their long friendship, Spears and Taylor had worked together on confidence schemes throughout the USA. The Board obtained search assistance from the United States Navy. National Airlines Flight 967 Part 01.PDF PDF document, 25,417 kB (26,027,901 bytes) National Airlines flight 193 lies partially submerged in the shallow waters of Escambia Bay in Pensacola. For most of its existence the company was headquartered at Miami International Airport, Florida. As has been detailed, the fire marks on bodies and on debris were of the type caused exclusively by a flash surface fire, probably both hot and brief, upon impact with the water. No? The Board, with the aid of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, has thoroughly investigated Mr. Two military radar stations had the flight under surveillance. Comprehensive flight tracking to enhance your FBO operations and increase sales. 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've never heard of this and I love aviation mysteries. The bodies were stripped of clothing and revealed severe burns, he said. An oil slick estimated to be a mile long and possibly 400yards in width ran in a north-south direction. Then he abruptly told her was headed to Atlanta the next day, to look for a job there. 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. Recently, she said, Al Taylor had been strangely depressed and withdrawn, but his mood only lifted when he talked to Spears. They had been divorced longer than she claimed, and the divorce had been far from amicable. However, at Pilottown, Louisiana, the United States Coast Guard maintains a manned lookout tower for observing surface craft approaching and departing the port of New Orleans. Early that morning, they spotted something: a small amount of debris, a large oil slick, and several floating bodies. This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Networks opinion as to the cause of the accident. The car belonged to a man named Al Taylor, a longtime friend of Dr Spears, who had been the best man at his wedding. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. . 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. His wife, who had recently given birth to twins, even collected a partial payout from his $120,000 life insurance policy. The media, of course, went straight to Dr Spearss wife. Compare airfares and book tickets with lowest price on different airlines in real time 24 hours. 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. Sun 4/2. The FBI then tracked him down through surveillance. Robert Vernon Spears, of Dallas, Texas, was listed as a passenger on Flight967. This appeared to be bits of upholstery, sound deadening material, and white objects like sponge rubber pillows encased in plastic envelopes. 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. During this period an underwater television camera was lowered twice on the contact from the VIGOR but only marine life was observed. He had become financially successful in Texas as a . Flight status, tracking, and historical data for National Aeronautics and Space Administration 967 (NASA967) 01-Mar-2023 (KEFD-KVCT) including scheduled, estimated, and actual departure and arrival times. This segment of the flight was completely routine. Spears died in Baylor Medical Center, Dallas on May 2, 1969 of coronary thrombosis. St. Petersburg Times. He heard no noise. 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. 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. It had his signature on it. He was charged with unlawful possession of an automobile but due to lack of evidence was never charged in the alleged bombing of Flight 967. 1. Air Methods. National Airlines Flight967 of November 15, 1959, was scheduled between Miami, Florida, and New Orleans, Louisiana, with a stop at Tampa, Florida. Note that the whereabouts of DB Cooper on these dates is unaccounted for. [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. 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. The combination of the auto theft charge and his existing abortion charge eventually got him ten years in prison. Post-mortem examinations of the nine bodies, all of which were identified by fingerprints, indicated that all had received traumatic injuries. Sun 4/9. After not hearing from Taylor for a few days, and discovering he had not showed up for work, Alice became worried. This is the last known radio contact with Flight967. * Douglas DC-6 All 42 on board were presumed killed in the incident. 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. See if your flight has been delayed or cancelled and track the live position on a map. It's possible it was not a direct flight, and the next leg would have been from NO to Dallas. According to Alan C. Logans book, Taylor had also met with Frank in New York (though Logan does not explain why). Note the use of the word accident, which is used throughout the report. Initially, there was some speculation based on the fact that a noted Chicago mobster--Ellis Itchy Mandel--was on the flight. Mrs Spears replied that she had not. As for the insurance policy taken out by Taylor, Spears said: Taylor was sort of a nut on insurance. 2912.3'N, Long. Some twelve to fifteen minutes later a Coast Guard aircraft arrived and dropped smoke markers. Thank you for the great write-up. - May 1, 1961, Antulio Ramirez Ortiz hijacks a National Airlines flight from Miami International Airport to Cuba. Flight Departure Times. - January 6, 1960, a DC-6B en route from New York to Miami was destroyed by a bomb near Bolivia, North Carolina, killing all 34 on board. 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. 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. The personal effects consisted of shoes, clothing, parts of leather suitcases and other traveling paraphernalia. 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. He was not a licensed MD, and his license to practice naturopathy had been revoked in 1957. In fact, he had vanished on November 16, 1959 - the very same day that airplane went down in the Gulf. In Autumn 1960, while in jail, Spears agreed to a taped interview with reporter Ed Barker. Air Methods is the most responsive and reliable provider of critical care transportation solutions. 2004. A Tanzanian airline said on Monday it will start flights to Zimbabwe in December, plying the Harare-Dar es Salaam route three times a week. He heard about the Flight 967 disaster along the way, and although he was devastated to think his old pal had perished, Spears simply decided it was an opportunity for a fresh start.". Could it be that in spite of this vast, tangled web--this was just another plane crash? That day the two men also reportedly met with a man they referred to in letters only as "the fellow". 14 relations. Great attention to detail. Track planes in real-time on our flight tracker map and get up-to-date flight status & airport information. Alan C. Logan is among those who dismiss this second story as fiction. The flight release Tampa-New Orleans was in accordance with the Civil Air Regulations and NAL procedures. Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Fri, 26 May 23. . On November 16, 1959, an airplane vanished over the Gulf of Mexico, with 42 people onboard. No seat belt abrasions were found. The former Mrs Taylor was becoming increasingly frantic. After forging several checks, he had skipped town and completely abandoned his first family. Two more liferafts were soon seen in a similar condiiton. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. All 42 occupants perished. Mr Taylor would need to have put just $1.50 into that machine to secure that $37,500 insurance policy (equivalent to more than $300,000 today).]. In this role I provide oversight and management of supply and demand, schedules, supplier . OP, thank you for your work on this, especially noting the numerous sources you cited. 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? Crew qualifications and experience were amply high in all respects and an investigation disclosed no irregularity in this connection. National Airlines Flight 967; Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Without an aircraft, this was no easy task. If there was, did it come before or after the crash? Join to view profile. No operational or maintenance item was found which can reasonably be linked to this accident. There was nothing immediately remarkable about Dr Spears. It may be possible that the stop was in Dallas during the time of the crash. National Airlines Flight 967; A Delta Airlines DC-7, similar to the accident aircraft. National Airlines was a United States airline that operated from 1934 to 1980. The Flightpath. 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". [citation needed], Spears was eventually arrested in Phoenix after being turned in by the ex-wife a fellow naturopath in Arizona. 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. This debris included parts of seats, parts of overhead racks, upholstery, items of clothing, parts of leather suitcases, shoes, a pack of cigarettes. 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. Coast Guard and civil surface craft immediately searched the area exhaustively and retrieved everything sighted. [] The fire marks on bodies and on debris were of the type caused exclusively by a flash surface fire, probably both hot and brief, upon impact with the water. Investigators were divided on whether the aircraft broke apart on impact with the water, or exploded in the air before it went down. Spears had a long history of crime, having been arrested 17 times under 14 different aliases. Mrs Spears? Who knows, Taylor might show up one day, alive and healthy. Streaming flight data feed for enterprise integrations with real-time, historical and predictive flight data. Full-screen FlightAware TV maps for operators or FBOs. Geo resource failed to load. 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. The notion of intimidating the witness thus made no sense. Economy. Ronald Reagan National Airport. A considerable amount of the floating debris also exhibited signs of burning but only above waterlines. History of the flight On Sunday 4 April 2010 at about 0920 Eastern Standard Time1, the pilot arrived at Cambridge Aerodrome near Hobart, Tasmania in preparation for a flight in a Victa Airtourer 115 aircraft, registered VH-MTC (MTC). A problem was discovered (broken window . Thats not necessarily so. 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 He also had convictions for drunk driving and drug possession. They even raise the possibility that the two con-men may have been plotting something together. Many sonar contacts were obtained by both ships but all were evaluated as marine life. Absolutely fascinating mystery. 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. 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. 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.

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