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 And who was he? It was then observed to turn right approximately 70 degrees and disappear from the scope at 0051 at Lat. Absolutely fascinating mystery. 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. His wife would then cash in an insurance policy for $100,000 on Spears' life. +6 2004. All 42 on board were presumed killed in the incident. Mrs Taylor recalled that Dr Spears had held an unnatural sway over her former husband. I've never heard of this and I love aviation mysteries. I believe him lost in the crash.". Early that morning, they spotted something: a small amount of debris, a large oil slick, and several floating bodies. With the time and funds available it was possible to cover only 29.75square miles of an area selected after an analysis of wind and current factors and the results of all previous searches. 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 . National Airlines Flight 967, registration 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. Interchange flights like this were fairly common before the CAB awarded more direct routes beginning with the Southeast to West Coast case in 1961. 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. Frank was covered by $900,000 in life insurance policies at the time of his death, and had also been under investigation for corruption. 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. 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. It turned out he had a long criminal record--a string of confidence schemes, forgery, and thefts under a variety of aliases. Unfortunately, these searches were not successful. She had never liked Spears. There she discovered a receipt addressed to their son Junior. 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. The aircraft was a DC-7, N 4891C, owned by Delta Air Lines and operated by National under an equipment interchange agreement. This page was last edited on 5 May 2019, at 15:31. The National crew consisted of Captain Frank Eugene Todd, Copilot Dick . 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. - January 14, 1951, a DC-4 crashed on landing at Philadelphia Airport with 7 fatalities. This search was also unsuccessful. 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. The FBI then tracked him down through surveillance. Search and rescue aircraft spotted scattered debris and a number of bodies in the vicinity of the last radar return, about 35 miles east of Pilottown, Louisiana; the remains of 10 individuals were eventually located. Track National Aeronautics and Space Administration #967 flight from Houston Ellington to Victoria Rgnl. Taylor's body was not among those recovered. . 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. 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. Playing upon people's uncertainties about air-travel, insurance companies did quite well off them. Pertinent details are: William Allen Taylor, of Tampa, Florida, disappeared November 15, 1959, after telephoning his employer he would be late for work. No operational or maintenance item was found which can reasonably be linked to this accident. Fri, 26 May 23. The industry standard flight tracking platform for business aviation (BA) owners and operators. Taylor? Predictive technology to strengthen customer trust in your operations. The radar observer testified that this disappearance was characteristic of a target going below the scope's limits. 8839'W. 967 (NASA967) 01-Mar-2023 (KEFD . He had become financially successful in Texas as a . - 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. She later said she had a premonition that her husband had been on that flight, and she never wavered from it. The inertia of the bodies was plainly downward and forward and the forces at impact were severe. The weather conditions were good. 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. Get the FlightAware App for the best flight tracking experience on your device. Two military radar stations had the flight under surveillance. 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. 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. A bomb was suspected. Though he was legally dead, many had begun to doubt that Taylor was ever on that flight at all. We deliver industry-leading performance in safety, clinical quality, and patient advocacy, committing to zero balance bills. CAB Accident Report, National Airlines Flight 967.pdf 1,091 1,4818 556 George T Baker 1940.jpg 600 49636 MM00013951 (8091335494) (2).jpg 1,259 1,371428 The flight had been on its way from Tampa, Florida, to New Orleans. but he would have had to have done some rushing to get aboard the plane because it taxied away at 12:25 am. 2918.5'N, Long. 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. But in 1957 he was expelled from the organization in a bribery scandal. 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. After forging several checks, he had skipped town and completely abandoned his first family. The mafia? Spears." I was completely drawn in. We appreciate you trying our new Live Surface Map feature. His story is absurd, the prosecutor said. 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. In the weeks after the crash, the mystery of Flight 967 deepened. First week only $4.99! Spears disagreed with the characterization of himself as a sinister hypnotic puppetmaster. He was arrested for assault and battery for his wife in 1971. 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.. Streaming flight data feed for enterprise integrations with real-time, historical and predictive flight data. Alan C. Logan is among those who dismiss this second story as fiction. GADSS-compliant global tracking and alerting for airlines and aircraft operators. 0 bags. 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. It was founded in 1934 as a Florida-based airline. Contact Us. - February 14, 1953, a DC-6 crashed into the Gulf of Mexico off Mobile, AL. A careful search was made for witnesses. Spears disappeared after the accident but was arrested in Phoenix, Arizona, with Taylor's car in January, 1960. The car belonged to a man named Al Taylor, a longtime friend of Dr Spears, who had been the best man at his wedding. So why the stories from Spears? It's quick and easy to. However, there was ample fuel to have proceeded to the flight's planned alternate or to Dallas, the next en route stop. 1 adult. These were her statements: "If my husband was on that plane, I can accept it although my life will be hard. 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. That day the two men also reportedly met with a man they referred to in letters only as "the fellow". Curiously, Al Taylor had recently been reported missing. 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. All 42 on board were presumed killed in the accident. 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 combination of the auto theft charge and his existing abortion charge eventually got him ten years in prison. In one letter, Spears urged Taylor not to use his real name in future communications, but to refer to him as F. Clearly, Dr Spears had not been on that plane. 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. National Airlines Flight967 of November 15, 1959, was scheduled between Miami, Florida, and New Orleans, Louisiana, with a stop at Tampa, Florida. 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. She called Spearss wife (who was still grieving at that time) and asked if she had seen or heard from Taylor. This material totaled possibly less than one percent of all such material within the fuselage. 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. Incredible write-up! Letters between the two men, which Mrs Taylor believed to be evidence of a skilful manipulation by Dr Spears, could also simply indicate a strong friendship. The flight was estimated to be at the Crab Intersection, a customary reporting point, at 0004. The bodies were stripped of clothing and revealed severe burns, he said. 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 final ruling was probable severe turbulence.. It had his signature on it. 967. 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. Suddenly his strange behavior all made sense to her--her hapless ex-husband was a puppet, under Dr Spearss spell. Start your trial now! Al Taylor asked him to drive the Plymouth to Dallas where they were scheduled to meet up. A subreddit dedicated to the unresolved mysteries of the world. Accordingly, communications between Coast Guard surface vessels and the National Airlines Convair were relayed by Coast Guard aircraft. Great write up! Coast Guard and civil surface craft immediately searched the area exhaustively and retrieved everything sighted. National Airlines Flight 967, a DC-7B on a flight from Tampa, Florida to New Orleans, crashed into the Gulf of Mexico. We work hard to keep our advertising relevant and unobtrusive to create a great experience. 1. We know he was at the airport that night, at 12:16 am. Taylor apparently then he called his boss at the tire company and asked for the next day off work. Down the rabbit hole I go. It may safely be concluded that there was no warning of the disaster. I told him it wouldn't work!". In the postwar era, its fleet consisted of the: * Convair CV-340 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. Mr Frank? The aircraft was a DC-7, N4891C, owned by Delta Air Lines and operated by National under an equipment interchange agreement. Frank was covered by $900,000 in life insurance policies at the time of his death, and had also been under investigation for corruption. Cheapest ticket price on Dubai to Toronto Skycraft Air Transport flight air ticket at MakeMyTrip UAE. 02:55. According to Alan C. Logans book, Taylor had also met with Frank in New York (though Logan does not explain why). -, Press J to jump to the feed. He estimates that the white trail took three or four seconds to go "straight down," and that the initial red flash was "almost as big as the sun." Call 1-650-967-2500 for Cirrus purchase and training assistance, or to take my online seminar: So You Wa . He reported a "smooth flight" and unlimited visibility, but said he could see a solid overcast of fog ahead. No seat belt abrasions were found. DC-7 Cockpit - From the display at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. Air Methods. 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. All 42 occupants perished. But even then there would be no point in destroying the plane or himself. 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. Spear's activities in order to determine whether they might have had a bearing upon the accident. We have been unable to find any such relationship. Taylor would fly and Spears would drive. Investigation disclosed no significant weather condition in the form of fronts, squall lines, thunderstorms, turbulence or icing affecting the route of flight. * C-46 Commando 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. Among the 42 names of the dead--there was a passenger named Dr Robert Vernon Spears--a distinguished naturopath from Dallas, Texas. Sometimes passengers even boarded the wrong planes by accident. 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. February 1, 1960 LINK. 8840'W. [] Then you also have to think about the fact that Al Taylor was his friend since 1928. 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. 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. Life Magazine. Self-employed. A rival airline company? That was before Spears was found in Arizona with Taylors car. At 00:55 the aircraft suddenly crashed into the Gulf of Mexico. * Boeing 747-135 [2] There was no evidence of any connection between Spears and the accident. Although sabotage was suspected, no definite cause of the crash was determined. With so many tantalizing details about Spears and Taylor, its easy to forget we know next to nothing about this plane crash. Yeah, it's kinda sad (and annoying) that such a good read isn't inspiring much in the way of discussion hardly at all. These charts have been preserved for possible future use. It's possible it was not a direct flight, and the next leg would have been from NO to Dallas. No severe weather was forecast, anticipated or reported at flight altitudes over the route. Company calls to 967 continued without result for some time. Ronald Reagan National Airport. The second radar station at Houma, Louisiana, picked up the flight at 0046, on track and at 14,000feet altitude. operated a variety of different types of aircraft. The aircraft remained unreported. The National crew consisted of Captain Frank Eugene Todd, Copilot Dick . May 3, 1969 LINK, Con Man, Best Man, An Air Crash - A Far Out, Far Up Mystery". As for the insurance policy taken out by Taylor, Spears said: Taylor was sort of a nut on insurance. 04:35. The FBI, while stopping short of the Svengali hypothesis, acknowledged that "Spears may have had someone travel for him to collect a large insurance policy for the benefit of his young wife". The two had met in the Missouri State Penitentiary, back when Taylor was still known as Albert O. Thompson. 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. 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.. History. Departure from Tampa, with the same crew, was at 2332. 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 . 8837.3'W. 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. You can help us keep FlightAware free by allowing ads from FlightAware.com. Flight 967 (1959) Flight 2511 (1960) Flight 27 (1973) Flight 193 (1978) Category. He also had convictions for drunk driving and drug possession. This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Networks opinion as to the cause of the accident. Forty-two people were on board, and less than 1% of the wreckage was recovered. 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. He did not log the incident.