The freezing level along the route was at about 14,000feet and the winds at that altitude were generally from the northwest at 10-20knots. The weather conditions were good. According to this new story, in November 1959 Spears was extremely worried about the upcoming abortion trial in Los Angeles. . Spears had been in and out of jail in multiple states (even mistakenly deported to Canada on one occasion). Taylor's not going to let himself get talked into something as crazy as getting on a plane that's about to blow up. 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. He felt he had been a burden and it was a chance to free us of that burden.. Flight hour logbooks will be required at time of your Flight Assessment for verification. Mrs Spears? National Airlines records do not show a ticket issued in his name and he was not carried on their records as a passenger on Flight967. 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. The prosecutor in Spearss abortion case pointed out they already had sworn affidavits from the abortion witnesses, which they could simply have read out in court. 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. VIGOR searched, using Navy sonar. . There was nothing immediately remarkable about Dr Spears. To me it just doesnt add up that Spears is going to tell his best friend of many decades, a man with essentially no history of violence, to take on this package like its Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner.. The Board obtained search assistance from the United States Navy. Back then, you could get on a plane, put something in the luggage rack, and then right before take off say "Excuse me, is this the plane to Dallas? 03 hrs 40 mins . 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. 8840'W. One part of the investigation focused on the passengers. He needed to get the dynamite from Tulsa to Dallas. Meanwhile she campaigned in the courts to have him declared legally dead (which would give her son access to the life insurance money). 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. 1973 - Skylab 4 launches into orbit on the fourth Skylab mission, bringing the third and final crew to the American space station.. 1965 - Russia's Venera 3, the first spacecraft to land on another planet's surface, is launched toward Venus.. 1959 - National Airlines Flight 967, a Douglas DC-7 (registered N4891C) is destroyed by a bomb over the Gulf of Mexico, killing all 42 on . Robert Vernon Spears, a nationally known naturopathic doctor from . She had never liked Spears. A massive search began. Except for the land areas and coastal waters from Mobile westward, skies were virtually clear and visibility excellent. Due to lack of evidence, however, Spears was never charged with any offense in relation to the Flight 967 crash. Spears disappeared after the accident but was arrested in Phoenix, Arizona, with Taylor's car in January, 1960. This material totaled possibly less than one percent of all such material within the fuselage. This is the story Spears gave after his arrest: He said he had been in Tampa and was planning on heading back to Dallas on November 16. Taylor, investigators discovered, was wanted in Washington DC and Philadephlia under a variety of assumed names at the time of his disappearance. As Mrs Spears described it, "He saw an opportunity to leave me and the babies with some financial security. Save your money with discount and promotions and find the best deals on Trip.com! National Airlines Flight 193, registration N4744, Donna, was a Boeing 727-235 en route from Miami, Florida to Pensacola on May 8, 1978. . 14 relations. I loathed him, she said, and had always considered him a bad influence on Al. 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. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time. Suddenly his strange behavior all made sense to her--her hapless ex-husband was a puppet, under Dr Spearss spell. For 3-1/2 to 4minutes the flight continued on a normal track of approximately 296 degrees magnetic. Air Methods is the most responsive and reliable provider of critical care transportation solutions. Absolutely fascinating mystery. . Fri, 26 May 23. . Conditions of Employment: FAA Class 1 Medical required at time of Flight . The aircraft was airworthy at the time of departure, the crew was competent, weather conditions were good, and when disaster struck, the flight was very close to being both on course and on schedule. The point of fade from the scope was normal and within correlation limits. The industry standard flight tracking platform for business aviation (BA) owners and operators. Fri, 26 May 23. There was no radio message of impending trouble. No operational or maintenance item was found which can reasonably be linked to this accident. +6 She told them all about her missing husband and his missing pink Plymouth, which sparked a nationwide search. 50 years ago, in the early morning of January 6, 1960 on a flight bound from New York to Miami, National Flight 2511 crashed near Bolivia, North Carolina. Many sonar contacts were obtained by both ships but all were evaluated as marine life. Taylor apparently then he called his boss at the tire company and asked for the next day off work. 1021022013 429b747-428bcf 7 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. - October 5, 1945, a Lockheed Lodestar crashed into a lake in Lakeland, Florida with two fatalities. Could it be that in spite of this vast, tangled web--this was just another plane crash? ASSURANCE sailed on November 19, 1959, for position 3907'N - 8833'W relieving the Coast Guard Cutter NIKE, which had been standing by. Spears said he begrudgingly gave his Flight 967 ticket to Al Taylor, a friend who couldn't face a long drive to Dallas. According to the hotel staff, Taylor was talking about boarding a flight to Dallas--the waitress specifically remembered making small talk about Dallas. operated a variety of different types of aircraft. At 0034 the flight reported over NL1 at 0033 at 14,000feet, estimating New Orleans at 0119. Without an aircraft, this was no easy task. I am not a shill but it is an interesting book.]. The cultures of National and Pan Am also proved to be incompatible, making workforce integration difficult. He planned to intimidate the witness in that case somehow with a bomb (not to kill her but to intimidate her). Investigators determined that the flight crew was competent and experienced. In Autumn 1960, while in jail, Spears agreed to a taped interview with reporter Ed Barker. -, Press J to jump to the feed. A considerable amount of the floating debris also exhibited signs of burning but only above waterlines. He was subsequently apprehended by Federal authorities in Phoenix, Arizona, for having unlawful possession of Mr. Taylor's vehicle. 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. Because of the lack of physical evidence, the probable cause of this accident is unknown. 18cm Wingspan approx. The National crew consisted of Captain Frank Eugene Todd, Copilot Dick . He ran unsuccessfully for Idaho County Coroner in 1972 on the Republican ticket. Company calls to 967 continued without result for some time. 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. Repeated calls to it, starting at 0106 on company frequency, were not answered. At Miami, National Airlines prepared one of its Convair aircraft, which left for the area at 0545 under the command of the company's chief pilot. Long read, but totally worth it! The FBI got involved. Carefully the investigators went through the flight manifest. He was "100 percent" certain it was Taylor, and when he called out "Hey Al" he said the man turned, but then hastily slipped away into the crowd. In fact, he had vanished on November 16, 1959 - the very same day that airplane went down in the Gulf. 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. A rival airline company? Thanks for writing this all up. An oil slick estimated to be a mile long and possibly 400yards in width ran in a north-south direction. The flight accepted the clearance and stated it would remain at 14,000feet a little longer. For most of its existence the company was headquartered at Miami International Airport, Florida. Full-screen FlightAware TV maps for operators or FBOs. National Airlines Flight 967 took off from Tampa (TPA) at 23:32 for a flight to New Orleans (MSY) at FL140. 02:55. Aviation accidents and incidents in 1978 () Jan 1 Air India Flight 855; 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 former Mrs Taylor was becoming increasingly frantic. 2004. National Airlines Flight 967, a DC-7B on a flight from Tampa, Florida to New Orleans, crashed into the Gulf of Mexico. Replies analysing and speculating over the mystery and possible explanations are encouraged. * Lockheed L-188 Electra She also said she had begged him to turn himself in but he refused. According to Junior, Taylor was carrying over $600 in cash--a lot of money at the time, especially for a man in serious debt. Yet cracks soon appeared in this image too. In fact, Turska had also been facing abortion charges in November 1959 (though Turskas charges were later dropped). The unplanned water landing caught everyone . On October 5, 1945 National Airlines Flight 16, a Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar (registered NC18199) crashed into a lake near Lakeland, . Investigation disproved the possibility of collision with another aircraft, either civil or military, and there were no missiles or rockets in flight at the time and place. Track American Airlines (AA) #967 flight from Austin-Bergstrom Intl to Dallas-Fort Worth Intl. After this case, planes continued to disintegrate in flight due to explosive decompression. * Douglas DC-8-21/31/32/51/54/61 OP, thank you for your work on this, especially noting the numerous sources you cited. The line between the airports does. I believe him lost in the crash.". National Airlines was a United States airline that operated from 1934 to 1980. After he left, he phoned again three times, again asking for Junior. He had become financially successful in Texas as a . Al Taylor asked him to drive the Plymouth to Dallas where they were scheduled to meet up. He asked her not to tell Junior this. 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. The aircraft was crossing an area of severe weather and possibly flew into a waterspout. 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 . Delta Air Lines was scheduled to operate the flight between New Orleans, and its next stop, Dallas, TX, where American Airlines was to take over and operate the same aircraft from Dallas nonstop to Los Angeles. According to Logans book, Mrs Taylor was media savvy, and exaggerated her closeness with Taylor before his disappearance. It was then observed to turn right approximately 70 degrees and disappear from the scope at 0051 at Lat. The Civil Aeronautics Board investigated the cause of the crash. National Airlines operated the first two legs between Miami and Tampa, and Tampa and New Orleans. It was founded in 1934 as a Florida-based airline. 8839'W. Select the responses you agree with. 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. 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.". Note the use of the word accident, which is used throughout the report. As it turned out, William Turska was not a model citizen himself. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. His story is absurd, the prosecutor said. And who was he? She contacted his work--they knew nothing. 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. 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 . As Logan points out, in the first three weeks of 1960 alone there had been four major airline crashes. This matter will be detailed later in this report. 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. (These bearings could be duplicated at low altitude; the VOR bearings could not be, due to line-of-sight limitations.). Coast Guard vessels suggested searching an area some distance to the southwest of the position 2913'N, 8840'W. Mrs Taylor recalled that Dr Spears had held an unnatural sway over her former husband. In this interview, he told a completely different story about what had happened. His wife would then cash in an insurance policy for $100,000 on Spears' life. Seattle, Washington, United States. Flight Departure Times. All 42 on board were presumed killed in the incident. Frank E. Todd of Miami, the pilot, radioed his last message at 12:44a.m. https://en.wikisource.org/w/index.php?title=Aviation_Accident_Report:_National_Airlines_Flight_967&oldid=9238655. Thats not necessarily so. Taylor's body was not among those recovered. 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. He added that New Orleans had instrument meteorological conditions, and indicated that the crew had planned to use this method on the approach until the plane was below the low ceiling. 04:35. EVERETT ENGERSOL, Evergreen Park, Illinois, PEDRO MARCO, arrived in Miami from Havana, A. VINAS, Havana and Loma Linda, California, The REV. 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. This search was also unsuccessful. Contribute to chinapedia/wikipedia.en development by creating an account on GitHub. Great attention to detail. From March3 through13,1960, the U.S.S. Las Vegas, Nevada, United States333 followers 331 connections. 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. A reporter happened to be in her home at the time. Shortly thereafter a Coast Guard helicopter arrived. 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. National Airlines Flight 967, registration N4891C, was a Douglas DC-7B aircraft which disappeared over the Gulf of Mexico en route from Tampa, Florida to New Orleans, Louisiana on November 16, 1959. The cause was suspected to have been an attempted case of Insurance fraud; . The flight release Tampa-New Orleans was in accordance with the Civil Air Regulations and NAL procedures. National Airlines Flight 967 of November 15, 1959, was scheduled between Miami, Florida, and New Orleans, Louisiana, with a stop at Tampa, Florida. Though he was legally dead, many had begun to doubt that Taylor was ever on that flight at all. 16cm . That day the two men also reportedly met with a man they referred to in letters only as "the fellow". Aviation Accident Report: National Airlines Flight 967, Aviation Accident Report: National Airlines Flight 967 Report. See if your flight has been delayed or cancelled and track the live position on a map. On the night of November 15, 1959, a DC-7 with forty-two persons aboard took off from Tampa International Airport on a regularly scheduled flight to New Orleans. One or two airlines only recently started offering direct flights to Tampa. 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. The media, of course, went straight to Dr Spearss wife. ", Alan C. Logans book also cites a vague remark by Mr Turska that Spears was not alone when he showed up in Arizona after the crash. This position was determined by VOR bearings taken from 14,000feet altitude. The flight was estimated to be at the Crab Intersection, a customary reporting point, at 0004. 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. . This appeared to be bits of upholstery, sound deadening material, and white objects like sponge rubber pillows encased in plastic envelopes. She later said she had a premonition that her husband had been on that flight, and she never wavered from it. The aircraft was a DC-7, N 4891C, owned by Delta Air Lines and operated by National under an equipment interchange agreement. A check by the company at this time showed that FAA, New Orleans Approach Control, and ARTC were also out of contact with Flight967. What a tangled web. Investigators were divided on whether the aircraft broke apart on impact with the water, or exploded in the air before it went down. Taylor had also been married before his marriage to Alice. Flight 967 Hardcover - January 1, 1963. None of these nine persons had been subjected to fire or smoke before death, as demonstrated by low carboxyhemoglobin levels in blood and tissue. and Long. [4], Spears died in Dallas, Texas on May 2, 1969, of coronary thrombosis. Clearly in shock, she turned to the reporter and said: "What can I say? It was a starlit night, and good weather conditions were reported all along the route. 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. The 9 they found were likely ejected from the plane through a large opening during the deconpression, while the rest were blown to bits. These were her statements: "If my husband was on that plane, I can accept it although my life will be hard. We appreciate you trying our new Live Surface Map feature. The Board, with the aid of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, has thoroughly investigated Mr. 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. Spears immediately said he had made the whole thing up after the reporter had pressured him to tell him something new. The main wreckage has not been located . But in 1957 he was expelled from the organization in a bribery scandal. Suicide by a passenger holding large life insurance policies was the probable cause. 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. 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. 2910'N, and Long. 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. Intensive sea and air searches resulted in finding ten floating bodies and a small amount of floating debris the following morning. The flight originated in Miami at 10:22 PM the previous evening, landed at Tampa at 11:00 PM, and departed for New Orleans at 11:22 PM. A few moments before the departure of Flight967 from Tampa, Taylor purchased a flight insurance policy in the amount of $37,500 from a coin-operated machine at Tampa International Airport making his son the beneficiary and showing his destination as Dallas, Texas. 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. We have been unable to find any such relationship. Of all the prison terms he served, he never had a single infraction of violence. Join to view profile. 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. Lowest fares guaranteed on flights from Dubai to Toronto by Skycraft Air Transport. When the aircraft was destroyed, authorities would assume that Spears had himself been a victim and his wife would be able to collect on his life insurance. His wife, who had recently given birth to twins, even collected a partial payout from his $120,000 life insurance policy. Spears had been a close friend of her husband, and she had never considered him to be a good influence.
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