The captain and the dispatcher discussed the flight and concurred in the release. Pensacola replied by delivering a clearance to Flight967, which stipulated that it was cleared from NL1 direct to the MSY (New Orleans) omni via the 116-degree radial, and to descend and maintain 6,000feet at the pilot's discretion. and then hurry away, accidentally forgetting your luggage. None of these nine persons had been subjected to fire or smoke before death, as demonstrated by low carboxyhemoglobin levels in blood and tissue. Some twelve to fifteen minutes later a Coast Guard aircraft arrived and dropped smoke markers. Robert Vernon Spears, a nationally known naturopathic doctor from . Shortly thereafter a Coast Guard helicopter arrived. Could it be that in spite of this vast, tangled web--this was just another plane crash? At the time of his disappearance, Al Taylor lived in Tampa and worked as a salesman for the Pioneer Tire Company. With this information, Mrs Taylor's lawyer called the Tampa police department and the newspapers. 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 . Interchange flights like this were fairly common before the CAB awarded more direct routes beginning with the Southeast to West Coast case in 1961. A considerable amount of the floating debris also exhibited signs of burning but only above waterlines. St. Petersburg Times. 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 radio contact with the flight was at 12:44 AM, when the flight contacted company radio in New Orleans. In one letter, Spears urged Taylor not to use his real name in future communications, but to refer to him as F. 8837.3'W. A subreddit dedicated to the unresolved mysteries of the world. The FBI then tracked him down through surveillance. You can help us keep FlightAware free by allowing ads from FlightAware.com. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Everyone loved the read as the comments here suggest and so did I but does anyone have a theory they favor? 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". A reporter happened to be in her home at the time. Throughout this observation the radar scope indicated no other object. FlightAware provides accurate real-time, historical and predictive flight insights to all segments of the Capt. 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. 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).]. 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. 967. 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 . "Turska was the one to fear, not Bob, Mrs Spears once said. Mrs Spears? Repeated calls to it, starting at 0106 on company frequency, were not answered. At 0005 the flight reported to Tampa company radio as over Crab at 0002 and estimated NL1, also a customary reporting point, at 0031, at 14,000feet. After he left, he phoned again three times, again asking for Junior. Suicide by a passenger holding large life insurance policies was the probable cause. He did not log the incident. Perhaps most bizarrely of all--Dr Spears was an expert in hypnosis. 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. * Douglas DC-10-10/30, AviationExplorer.com - The Website For Aviation Enthusiasts, NATIONAL AIRLINES HISTORY FACTS AND PICTURES, Aviation Military and Police Phonetic Alphabet, NTSB Aviation Accidents From Last 10 Years, High Resolution Military Aviation Desktop Wallpapers. [citation needed], Spears was eventually arrested in Phoenix after being turned in by the ex-wife a fellow naturopath in Arizona. 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. 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. She received a court order to open his post office box. He was subsequently apprehended by Federal authorities in Phoenix, Arizona, for having unlawful possession of Mr. Taylor's vehicle. Very interesting story, indeed. Bombs Indicated in Two Air Disasters Monday, Dec 2 2013 . The position of 2913'N and 8840'W - at which the aircraft went off the military radar scope - was used as a focal point of search. The company posted $1.027 billion in membership fee income compared to $967 million a year earlier, a $60 million increase, or 6.2%. Although sabotage was suspected, no definite cause of the crash was determined . (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. At 0034 the flight reported over NL1 at 0033 at 14,000feet, estimating New Orleans at 0119. A check by the company at this time showed that FAA, New Orleans Approach Control, and ARTC were also out of contact with Flight967. This debris included parts of seats, parts of overhead racks, upholstery, items of clothing, parts of leather suitcases, shoes, a pack of cigarettes. He kept checking his watch, his ex-wife later said, and looked anxious to leave". Weather conditions in the area were poor, which meant that the crew had . The Board obtained search assistance from the United States Navy. The theory of a Svengalian puppet master was convenient not just for the former Mrs Taylor. Life Magazine. * Douglas DC-6 The ultimate flight tracking suite for small aircraft/general aviation (GA) owners and operators. Contact Us. On November 16, 1959, an airplane vanished over the Gulf of Mexico, with 42 people onboard. As Mrs Spears described it, "He saw an opportunity to leave me and the babies with some financial security. Investigation has disclosed certain details in regard to a last minute boarding of the aircraft at Tampa by a person using another person's ticket. Lieut. 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. 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. 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. [1] November 16 National Airlines Flight 967, a Douglas DC-7B, crashes in the Gulf of Mexico with the loss of all 42 people on board . Round-trip. Though no longer married to Al Taylor, Alice later told reporters they had been amicably divorced, and were still close. National Airlines Flight 967 of November 15, 1959, was scheduled between Miami, Florida, and New Orleans, Louisiana, with a stop at Tampa, Florida. 04:35. Taylor's not going to let himself get talked into something as crazy as getting on a plane that's about to blow up. In the postwar era, its fleet consisted of the: * Convair CV-340 He ran unsuccessfully for Idaho County Coroner in 1972 on the Republican ticket. He needed to get the dynamite from Tulsa to Dallas. . A personalized flight-following experience with unlimited alerts and more. It was then observed to turn right approximately 70 degrees and disappear from the scope at 0051 at Lat. Cooper? Clearly, Dr Spears had not been on that plane. Mrs Taylor recalled that Dr Spears had held an unnatural sway over her former husband. * Douglas DC-4 His story is absurd, the prosecutor said. Forty-two people were on board, and less than 1% of the wreckage was recovered. 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. GitHub export from English Wikipedia. It has been claimed that Dr Spears tried to access a vial of cyanide before his sentencing--but some have disputed this. 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". The BITTERN obtained four separate bottom contacts at Lat. Sometimes with these mysteries that were so long ago it is easy to lose sight of the fact that the victims were people who were loved and cared for by many. Economy. 16cm . Spears said he begrudgingly gave his Flight 967 ticket to Al Taylor, a friend who couldn't face a long drive to Dallas. Geo resource failed to load. 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. In 1964, it became the first exclusively jet powered service in the United States, and by 1970 became the third airline to offer transcontinental passenger flights. 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. Grapples were used and a variety of objects were recovered but none could be related to the aircraft. Search and rescue facilities were activated and the Coast Guard had search aircraft and surface craft in the suspect area before daylight. If he were not, I don't know anything I could do about it. [Here she began choking back tears] "I know one thing, we had planned on celebrating my son's birthday and we had bigger plans for Christmas. The aircraft had been called into service on short notice when the normal aircraft used for the evening . 8840'W. Add hotel. The other plane crash remains unexplained despite the apparent presence of dynamite and that it happened over land where, presumably, most or all of the wreckage was recovered. The National crew consisted of Captain Frank Eugene Todd, Copilot Dick . According to Junior, Taylor was carrying over $600 in cash--a lot of money at the time, especially for a man in serious debt. National Airlines Flight 967, a DC-7B on a flight from Tampa, Florida to New Orleans, crashed into the Gulf of Mexico. On October 5, 1945 National Airlines Flight 16, a Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar (registered NC18199) crashed into a lake near Lakeland, . This position is six miles south and about five miles east of the radar-observed descent. Due to lack of evidence, however, Spears was never charged with any offense in relation to the Flight 967 crash. This is evident by the lack of any unusual radio messages. Headwinds of about 15 to 20knots at the filed flight altitude of 14,000feet were forecast. Quickly purchase historical reports delivered via email. As for the insurance policy taken out by Taylor, Spears said: Taylor was sort of a nut on insurance. Despite these strange details, Mrs Taylor stuck to her story--her ex-husband had been hypnotized. 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. "I asked him if anything had been done to plane and he said no". [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. News Stories American Airlines to start hiring pilots again Southwest To Recall Pilots And Flight . There is little or no physical evidence upon which to explain this accident. From January27 through30, 1960, and from February2 through5, 1960, the VIGOR and PENGUIN made four dives on the bottom sonar contact obtained by the VIGOR on January 10, 1960. The agent's attention was drawn elsewhere, however, and he never noticed if the man boarded the flight or not. 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. DC-7 [] Template . "We don't get newspapers out here, he told reporters. Conditions of Employment: FAA Class 1 Medical required at time of Flight . 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 Note the use of the word accident, which is used throughout the report. The FBI had found Dr Spears through an ex-wife of Spearss associate Mr Turska. Taylor apparently then he called his boss at the tire company and asked for the next day off work. This matter will be detailed later in this report. It was also convenient for National Airlines. For 3-1/2 to 4minutes the flight continued on a normal track of approximately 296 degrees magnetic. I cant believe I dont remember the name but the one where the guy hijacked the plane and parachuted out over Washington state? 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. Playing upon people's uncertainties about air-travel, insurance companies did quite well off them. 1 adult. There have been dozens of plane crashes due to explosive decompression. The National crew consisted of Captain Frank Eugene Todd, Copilot Dick . Rescuers went out in aircraft and boats, arriving before dawn and still combing the cold, rough seas as the sun came up. Did you know that FlightAware flight tracking is supported by advertising? Several months later, on November 7, 1960, a commercial organization was engaged to conduct a one-month search using techniques proven effective in prospecting for underwater oil structures. Spears had been a close friend of her husband, and she had never considered him to be a good influence. Feb 2023 - Present2 months. The personal effects consisted of shoes, clothing, parts of leather suitcases and other traveling paraphernalia. Find cheap flights from Kathmandu to Yosemite National Park. The FBI got involved. 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. It was determined that Taylor had boarded the flight using a ticket issued for Spears. About 72 square miles south of the area originally covered in November was swept and bottom contact approximately 110feet long was made at Lat. ASSURANCE sailed on November 19, 1959, for position 3907'N - 8833'W relieving the Coast Guard Cutter NIKE, which had been standing by. See if your flight has been delayed or cancelled and track the live position on a map. Yeah, it's kinda sad (and annoying) that such a good read isn't inspiring much in the way of discussion hardly at all. Logan seems to be a firm defender of Spears. Turska? 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. She called Spearss wife (who was still grieving at that time) and asked if she had seen or heard from Taylor. Suddenly his strange behavior all made sense to her--her hapless ex-husband was a puppet, under Dr Spearss spell. Yet cracks soon appeared in this image too. He was arrested for assault and battery for his wife in 1971. 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. According to Alan C. Logans book, Taylor had also met with Frank in New York (though Logan does not explain why). National Airlines Flight 967 Part 01.PDF PDF document, 25,417 kB (26,027,901 bytes) A tragic accident due to some unforeseen mechanical malfunction or even pilot error? It's possible it was not a direct flight, and the next leg would have been from NO to Dallas. 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. Taylors son Junior dismissed the story. As he was leaving the courthouse after his first hearing, he was observed to be whistling. She ultimately succeeded, and her son Junior received an undisclosed settlement. This is the last known radio contact with Flight967. 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? I wonder how long it took the police to find out about all these shady characters. 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. Sometimes passengers even boarded the wrong planes by accident. A hypothesis arose that Spears, who had befriended Taylor in prison, tricked Taylor into boarding the flight with a piece of luggage containing a bomb. 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. PENGUIN assisted on November24 and on the following day made sonar contact at position 2916.4N, 8836.7'W. Mrs Spears said that when he came to see her, Spears was sad about Taylors death. Radar operators at a military station at Houma, Louisiana, picked up the flight at 12:46 AM. 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. United Airlines Flight 718, a DC-7, collided over the Grand Canyon with TWA Flight 2, an L-1049 Super Constellation, . and Long. She was an unflappable woman in her late fifties, with a fondness for ostentatious feathered hats, pearl necklaces, and large brooches. +6 The flight release Tampa-New Orleans was in accordance with the Civil Air Regulations and NAL procedures. After forging several checks, he had skipped town and completely abandoned his first family. What an intriguing case - how have I never heard of this before? 03 hrs 40 mins . D.B. Replies analysing and speculating over the mystery and possible explanations are encouraged. A rival airline company? Details of accident. I've never heard of this and I love aviation mysteries. Alan C. Logan is among those who dismiss this second story as fiction. Boeing. National Airlines Flight 967; We appreciate you trying our new Live Surface Map feature. 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. National Airlines flight 193 lies partially submerged in the shallow waters of Escambia Bay in Pensacola. He had actually been hiding out with an old associate named William Turska (also a naturopath), in Turskas remote bungalow in the desert 40 miles from Phoenix, Arizona. 2004. 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. Thank you for the great write-up. Robert Vernon Spears, of Dallas, Texas, was listed as a passenger on Flight967. When Spears met secretly with his wife on January 7, he had reportedly given her the same story. He also told them that "after he left I found a case of hidden dynamite". Fishermen in the Gulf who were questioned stated that they saw low-flying aircraft, but examination of their testimony indicated that they saw search aircraft shortly after the disaster and not the aircraft involved. [] for all those decades and all the different things they got up to. Seven minutes later, National Airlines flight 2511, which had been carrying 29 passengers and 5 crew members, crashed into a field in Brunswick County. ", Tampa International Airport, FL (TPA/KTPA), New Orleans International Airport, LA (MSY/KMSY), Accident investigation report completed and information captured, 57 km (35.6 mls) E off Pilottown, LA [Gulf of Mexico] (. 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. 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. The radar observer testified that this disappearance was characteristic of a target going below the scope's limits. I believe him lost in the crash.". It's quick and easy to. The flight accepted the clearance and stated it would remain at 14,000feet a little longer. Citing reports that Spears may have gone to Yuma while hiding out in Arizona, Logan notes, At that time the long US-Mexico border to the west and south of Yuma was largely unpatrolled.. Spears had a long history of crime, having been arrested 17 times under 14 different aliases. It is really unfortunate the wreckage was never discovered. Recently, she said, Al Taylor had been strangely depressed and withdrawn, but his mood only lifted when he talked to Spears. According to the hotel staff, Taylor was talking about boarding a flight to Dallas--the waitress specifically remembered making small talk about Dallas. And that they happened to know a seedy lawyer who (allegedly) blew himself up a month later? BITTERN searched separate areas using Navy sonar. At 00:55 the aircraft suddenly crashed into the Gulf of Mexico. This is also unexplained. National Airlines Flight 967; A Delta Airlines DC-7, similar to the accident aircraft. There was nothing immediately remarkable about Dr Spears. Planes, especially larger passenger ones, were still fairly new back then-- they were still figuring out the kinks. National Airlines merged with Pan Am in 1980. Flight hour logbooks will be required at time of your Flight Assessment for verification. 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. Hudson is an Equal Opportunity Employer of all qualified individuals. He felt he had been a burden and it was a chance to free us of that burden.. Upon his arrest in Arizona, the FBI charged him with transporting a stolen vehicle beyond state lines. There she discovered a receipt addressed to their son Junior. 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. Get the FlightAware App for the best flight tracking experience on your device. Spears said Taylor was going to fly to Dallas and that he would drive the car, but flight 967 was going to New Orleans not Dallas? Predictive technology to strengthen customer trust in your operations. Great write up! In 1964, it became the first exclusively jet powered service in the United States . 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. 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. But even then there would be no point in destroying the plane or himself. We have been unable to find any such relationship. 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. 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. . One of these was not aboard, although a final passenger count showed 36passengers upon departure from Tampa. The two had met in the Missouri State Penitentiary, back when Taylor was still known as Albert O. Thompson. 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. Company calls to 967 continued without result for some time. Start your trial now! This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. 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. 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. This appeared to be bits of upholstery, sound deadening material, and white objects like sponge rubber pillows encased in plastic envelopes. Posts about National Airlines Flight 967 written by The Flightpath. All 42 on board were presumed killed in the incident. None of these nine persons had been subjected to fire or smoke before death, as demonstrated by low carboxyhemoglobin levels in blood and tissue. They even raise the possibility that the two con-men may have been plotting something together. 1021022013 429b747-428bcf 7 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. 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. 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). Tampa Police Detective John C. Daniels was among those who did not buy the hypnosis theory: Taylor was in debt over his head.
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