. This position was determined by VOR bearings taken from 14,000feet altitude. He planned to intimidate the witness in that case somehow with a bomb (not to kill her but to intimidate her). The FBI's FOIA Library contains many files of public interest and historical value. 1021022013 429b747-428bcf 7 Spears disappeared after the accident but was arrested in Phoenix, Arizona, with Taylor's car in January, 1960. One of these was not aboard, although a final passenger count showed 36passengers upon departure from Tampa. It has been claimed that Dr Spears tried to access a vial of cyanide before his sentencing--but some have disputed this. Headwinds of about 15 to 20knots at the filed flight altitude of 14,000feet were forecast. Spears had been a close friend of her husband, and she had never considered him to be a good influence. The car belonged to a man named Al Taylor, a longtime friend of Dr Spears, who had been the best man at his wedding. The first, at Dauphin Island, near Mobile, Alabama, reported that Flight967 continued on flight plan course during the entire time it was under their surveillance. Compare airfares and book tickets with lowest price on different airlines in real time 24 hours. United Airlines Flight 718, a DC-7, collided over the Grand Canyon with TWA Flight 2, an L-1049 Super Constellation, . At 00:55 the aircraft suddenly crashed into the Gulf of Mexico. The Flightpath. There she discovered a receipt addressed to their son Junior. BITTERN searched separate areas using Navy sonar. For 3-1/2 to 4minutes the flight continued on a normal track of approximately 296 degrees magnetic. He added that the passengers apparently had no warning to don lifebelts, as only one life preserver was found among the debris. 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. Frank E. Todd of Miami, the pilot, radioed his last message at 12:44a.m. National Airlines Flight 967; Details of accident. She later said she had a premonition that her husband had been on that flight, and she never wavered from it. 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. The point of fade from the scope was normal and within correlation limits. Science Earth Science Question 5 Should national parks be preserved? Don't have an account? 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. 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. Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. The inertia of the bodies was plainly downward and forward and the forces at impact were severe. National Airlines Flight 967 of November 15, 1959, was scheduled between Miami, Florida, and New Orleans, Louisiana, with a stop at Tampa, Florida. * Douglas DC-7B Current weather reports and forecasts showed both destination and alternates to be and to remain above the approved minimums. Boeing. 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. He also cites the testimony of Spearss wife, neighbors and friends who spoke of him as a lovely person and a gentleman and expressed utter disbelief that he would be capable of doing something so heinous as taking down a passenger aircraft. Some of the bodies showed distinct evidence of burning on portions exposed above their waterlines. The search was resumed on November 26, 1959, to the south and west of the previous area based upon drift studies of recovered debris. Goodness, I'm on the wrong plane!" 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.". 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.. By all accounts, he was in financial difficulties, and had many debts. 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 . Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. 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. The flight was estimated to be at the Crab Intersection, a customary reporting point, at 0004. He moved to California and took up hypnotism, his business was with a doctor performing abortions (which were then illegal in the U.S.). He heard no noise. Over the course of their long friendship, Spears and Taylor had worked together on confidence schemes throughout the USA. Spears immediately said he had made the whole thing up after the reporter had pressured him to tell him something new. 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. Flight 967 was an interchange flight between three carriers; through plane service from Miami to Los Angeles. Robert Vernon Spears, of Dallas, Texas, was listed as a passenger on Flight967. Fri, 26 May 23. According to this new story, in November 1959 Spears was extremely worried about the upcoming abortion trial in Los Angeles. There is little or no physical evidence upon which to explain this accident. It turned out he had a long criminal record--a string of confidence schemes, forgery, and thefts under a variety of aliases. This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Networks opinion as to the cause of the accident. 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. Associate Procurement Agent. 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. Frank was covered by $900,000 in life insurance policies at the time of his death, and had also been under investigation for corruption. Immediately they concentrated their efforts on this area, eventually retrieving: "nine bodies, a portion of a tenth body, five life rafts, five life vests, and a highly diversified quantity of buoyant debris.". I cant believe I dont remember the name but the one where the guy hijacked the plane and parachuted out over Washington state? Very interesting story, indeed. All 42 on board were presumed killed in the incident. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Investigators were divided on whether the aircraft broke apart on impact with the water, or exploded in the air before it went down. The FBI had found Dr Spears through an ex-wife of Spearss associate Mr Turska. I loathed him, she said, and had always considered him a bad influence on Al. Grapples were used and a variety of objects were recovered but none could be related to the aircraft. That crash remains officially unexplained also. Air Methods is the most responsive and reliable provider of critical care transportation solutions. See if your flight has been delayed or cancelled and track the live position on a map. 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. Logan seems to be a firm defender of Spears. 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. 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. 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. The autopsies of the bodies, all of which were identified by fingerprints, indicated that all had received traumatic injuries: injuries indicated that all nine persons had been seated at the time the aircraft struck the water. The Civil Aeronautics Board investigated the cause of the crash. . Sometimes passengers even boarded the wrong planes by accident. 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. 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". With so many tantalizing details about Spears and Taylor, its easy to forget we know next to nothing about this plane crash. This material totaled possibly less than one percent of all such material within the fuselage. and then hurry away, accidentally forgetting your luggage. Investigators determined that the flight crew was competent and experienced. The combination of the auto theft charge and his existing abortion charge eventually got him ten years in prison. During this period an underwater television camera was lowered twice on the contact from the VIGOR but only marine life was observed. Economy. Spectacular job. It was also convenient for National Airlines. In fact, Turska had also been facing abortion charges in November 1959 (though Turskas charges were later dropped). 16cm . The bodies were stripped of clothing and revealed severe burns, he said. The National crew consisted of Captain Frank Eugene Todd, Copilot Dick . A theory also emerged that Spears was connected to another unexplained air disaster just months later. A problem was discovered (broken window . Al Taylor asked him to drive the Plymouth to Dallas where they were scheduled to meet up. Logan points out that much of the public demonization of Spears resulted from the fact that he performed abortions--something that is viewed very differently in todays political discourse. and Long. There injuries indicated that all nine persons had been seated at the time the aircraft struck the water. One or two airlines only recently started offering direct flights to Tampa. In fact, it was revealed that Spears was facing charges for performing abortions--which was illegal at the time, and had been set to stand trial on December 3, 1959. So why the stories from Spears? Someone connected to the abortion case? Investigators found less than 1% of its structural components and no conclusive evidence that a bomb was used. 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. The U.S.S. Crew qualifications and experience were amply high in all respects and an investigation disclosed no irregularity in this connection. Although sabotage was suspected, no definite cause of the crash was determined . Conditions of Employment: FAA Class 1 Medical required at time of Flight . If it had been, I doubt there would be much mystery as to what happened. Mrs Taylor? And who was he? Spears had a long history of crime, having been arrested 17 times under 14 different aliases. I do think Taylor took Spears spot on the plane last minute (hence only the briefcase, no luggage), but I don't think Taylor nor Spears intended to blow up the plane. 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 had become financially successful in Texas as a . Curiously, Al Taylor had recently been reported missing. All times herein are Central Standard based on the 24-hour clock. James L. Sigman, executive officer of the Coast Guard station at New Orleans, said the plane might have exploded when it struck the water. 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. Mrs Spears? National Airlines merged with Pan Am in 1980. According to Logans book, Mrs Taylor was media savvy, and exaggerated her closeness with Taylor before his disappearance. 1. Such a bummer. 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. Among the 42 names of the dead--there was a passenger named Dr Robert Vernon Spears--a distinguished naturopath from Dallas, Texas. 14 relations. As Mrs Spears described it, "He saw an opportunity to leave me and the babies with some financial security. All 42 on board were presumed killed in the incident. Comprehensive flight tracking to enhance your FBO operations and increase sales. - 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. The aircraft was crossing an area of severe weather and possibly flew into a waterspout. She called Spearss wife (who was still grieving at that time) and asked if she had seen or heard from Taylor. See if your flight has been delayed or cancelled and track the live position on a map. - 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. The aircraft was a DC-7, N4891C, owned by Delta Air Lines and operated by National under an equipment interchange agreement. IN THE GULF OF MEXICO, NOVEMBER 16, 1959. In the weeks after the crash, the mystery of Flight 967 deepened. The second radar station at Houma, Louisiana, picked up the flight at 0046, on track and at 14,000feet altitude. Add hotel. The flight had been on its way from Tampa, Florida, to New Orleans. 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. He was charged with three felony accounts and was set to stand trial in Los Angeles on December 3, 1959. VIGOR searched, using Navy sonar. * Douglas DC-6 At 0044 the flight again contacted FAA Pensacola and advised that it would change over to company frequency and would report to the company when leaving 14,000feet and7,000 feet. Yet cracks soon appeared in this image too. 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. Carefully the investigators went through the flight manifest. Flight Departure Times. Throughout this observation the radar scope indicated no other object. It was a starlit night, and good weather conditions were reported all along the route. Thank you for the great write-up. 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. Charts used during the several searches, with search areas well delineated, were coordinated within the various agencies to preclude duplicative and omissive effort. Save your money with discount and promotions and find the best deals on Trip.com! 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? The the bodies can get torn apart depending on their exact location on the plane, whether they were strapped in or not. 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. Lieut. This is also unexplained. Logan asks a number of questions--whether Taylor could have planned a murder-suicide without Spearss knowledge, whether Taylor boarded the flight at all, whether the last-minute insurance policy was an intentional red herring to throw off investigators and utterly confuse everyone? Though no longer married to Al Taylor, Alice later told reporters they had been amicably divorced, and were still close. Predictive technology to strengthen customer trust in your operations. Mrs Taylor recalled that Dr Spears had held an unnatural sway over her former husband. It's quick and easy to. Ronald Reagan National Airport. 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. 967 (NASA967) 01-Mar-2023 (KEFD . The notion of intimidating the witness thus made no sense. Thats another good one if youre not already familiar with it. That crash remains officially unexplained also. The FBI discovered there was much more to the kindly old Dr Spears than met the eye. However, there was ample fuel to have proceeded to the flight's planned alternate or to Dallas, the next en route stop. He was subsequently apprehended by Federal authorities in Phoenix, Arizona, for having unlawful possession of Mr. Taylor's vehicle. [] 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. A radar-observed descent was close to Lat. Thanks for writing this all up. 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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