[2] There was no evidence of any connection between Spears and the accident. Probably one of the most intriguing cases Ive read here, what a great write up OP! He said he had persuaded Al Taylor to take the dynamite on the airplane by promising to pay him $10,000 to do it. Contribute to chinapedia/wikipedia.en development by creating an account on GitHub. 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. Taylor would fly and Spears would drive. The Board, with the aid of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, has thoroughly investigated Mr. He asked her not to tell Junior this. In fact, he had vanished on November 16, 1959 - the very same day that airplane went down in the Gulf. Radar operators at a military station at Houma, Louisiana, picked up the flight at 12:46 AM. Incredible write-up! A personalized flight-following experience with unlimited alerts and more. Could it be that in spite of this vast, tangled web--this was just another plane crash? The pilot planned to conduct solo aerobatic flight manoeuvres in the 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. The captain and the dispatcher discussed the flight and concurred in the release. Spears had been a close friend of her husband, and she had never considered him to be a good influence. Ronald Reagan National Airport. The two had met in the Missouri State Penitentiary, back when Taylor was still known as Albert O. Thompson. If there was, did it come before or after the crash? * Douglas DC-8-21/31/32/51/54/61 Sometimes passengers even boarded the wrong planes by accident. The main section of the wreckage has never been found despite the efforts of Navy and Coast Guard divers. Bombs Indicated in Two Air Disasters Monday, Dec 2 2013 . Full-screen FlightAware TV maps for operators or FBOs. Turska claimed at the time he did not even know about the airplane crash. 46 people perished. A tragic accident due to some unforeseen mechanical malfunction or even pilot error? Investigators were divided on whether the aircraft broke apart on impact with the water, or exploded in the air before it went down. 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. 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. Without an aircraft, this was no easy task. 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. This material totaled possibly less than one percent of all such material within the fuselage. Alice was not to be dissuaded. 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". 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. In the weeks after the crash, the mystery of Flight 967 deepened. Quickly purchase historical reports delivered via email. Posts about National Airlines Flight 967 written by The Flightpath. - January 6, 1960, a DC-6B en route from New York to Miami was destroyed by a bomb near Bolivia, North Carolina, killing all 34 on board. At 1:16 AM, company radio attempted to contact Flight 967 to no avail; attempts by FAA en route facilities, New Orleans Approach Control, and air traffic control were unable to raise the flight. Feb 2023 - Present2 months. 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. . According to Logans book, Mrs Taylor was media savvy, and exaggerated her closeness with Taylor before his disappearance. Two more liferafts were soon seen in a similar condiiton. No severe weather was forecast, anticipated or reported at flight altitudes over the route. 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. Spears had a long history of crime, having been arrested 17 times under 14 different aliases. The bodies were stripped of clothing and revealed severe burns, he said. Turska claimed that once he found out about the plane crash fiasco, he immediately told Spears to leave, and then went straight to see his attorney. None of these nine persons had been subjected to fire or smoke before death, as demonstrated by low carboxyhemoglobin levels in blood and tissue. Boeing. 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. A considerable amount of the floating debris also exhibited signs of burning but only above waterlines. Because of the lack of physical evidence, the probable cause of this accident is unknown. The FBI then tracked him down through surveillance. See if your flight has been delayed or cancelled and track the live position on a map. Curiously, Al Taylor had recently been reported missing. Veterans, volunteers sought for Honor Flight It costs a lot to charter a flight that will carry 75 veterans from the Golden Isles to Washington, D.C., for the annual Honor Flight. The notion of intimidating the witness thus made no sense. 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". The company posted $1.027 billion in membership fee income compared to $967 million a year earlier, a $60 million increase, or 6.2%. From March16 through25,1960, the VITAL and the BITTERN continued searching in other areas and many botton contacts were obtained but none proved to be aircraft wreckage. I personally think the plane wasn't blown up with explosives or there was any foul play. Divers established that the contact was a sunken ship. D.B. 03 hrs 40 mins . 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. Forty-two people were on board, and less than 1% of the wreckage was recovered. NATIONAL AIRLINES, INC., DOUGLAS DC-7B, N4891C While circling and observing, the National Convair called Coast Guard aircraft with continuous transmission, allowing the latter to home on the area. GADSS-compliant global tracking and alerting for airlines and aircraft operators. 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. but he would have had to have done some rushing to get aboard the plane because it taxied away at 12:25 am. * Boeing 747-135 PROBABLE CAUSE: "Because of the lack of physical evidence, the probable cause of this accident is unknown. 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. Without the planes black box, it is impossible to rule this out. National Airlines Flight 967 of November 15, 1959, was scheduled between Miami, Florida, and New Orleans, Louisiana, with a stop at Tampa, Florida. It was then observed to turn right approximately 70 degrees and disappear from the scope at 0051 at Lat. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. 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. Though he was legally dead, many had begun to doubt that Taylor was ever on that flight at all. Did you know that FlightAware flight tracking is supported by advertising? * Douglas DC-6 He moved to California and took up hypnotism, his business was with a doctor performing abortions (which were then illegal in the U.S.). I was completely drawn in. 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? 14 relations. The flight originated in Miami at 1022 PM the p About 72 square miles south of the area originally covered in November was swept and bottom contact approximately 110feet long was made at Lat. His story is absurd, the prosecutor said. 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 tower is about 30 miles west of the crash site. Flight Departure Times. Las Vegas, Nevada, United States333 followers 331 connections. "I asked him if anything had been done to plane and he said no". As it turned out, William Turska was not a model citizen himself. Over the course of their long friendship, Spears and Taylor had worked together on confidence schemes throughout the USA. 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. Coscto also reported a Q2 net sales increase of 6.5%, to $54.24 . It has been claimed that Dr Spears tried to access a vial of cyanide before his sentencing--but some have disputed this. Boeing 747-400BCF National Airlines N702CA Scale 1/400 XX4975. * Douglas DC-4 Yeah, it's kinda sad (and annoying) that such a good read isn't inspiring much in the way of discussion hardly at all. The aircraft being used this particular day was a Delta Air Lines DC-7B. The weather conditions were good. Frank was covered by $900,000 in life insurance policies at the time of his death, and had also been under investigation for corruption. Details of accident. Track planes in real-time on our flight tracker map and get up-to-date flight status & airport information. None of these nine persons had been subjected to fire or smoke before death, as demonstrated by low carboxyhemoglobin levels in blood and tissue. Playing upon people's uncertainties about air-travel, insurance companies did quite well off them. It may safely be concluded that there was no warning of the disaster. 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. 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. Turska? . Suddenly his strange behavior all made sense to her--her hapless ex-husband was a puppet, under Dr Spearss spell. Coast Guard and civil surface craft immediately searched the area exhaustively and retrieved everything sighted. On November 16, 1959, an airplane vanished over the Gulf of Mexico, with 42 people onboard. 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. As Logan points out, in the first three weeks of 1960 alone there had been four major airline crashes. Searching continued through November23. Note that the whereabouts of DB Cooper on these dates is unaccounted for. The aircraft remained unreported. Some of the bodies showed distinct evidence of burning on portions exposed above their waterlines. * Convair CV-440 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. We partner with our EMS and hospital customers to solve the challenges of patient logistics and save lives. 1. Sun 4/9. Associate Procurement Agent. Nearby radar stations reported "the flight was very close to being on course and on schedule.'' Among the 42 names of the dead--there was a passenger named Dr Robert Vernon Spears--a distinguished naturopath from Dallas, Texas. Track National Aeronautics and Space Administration #967 flight from Chennault Intl to Houston Ellington Flugstatus, Tracking und Flugverlaufsdaten fr National Aeronautics and Space Administration 967 (NASA967) 02.03.2023 (KCWF-KEFD) mit geplanten, geschtzten und tatschlichen Start- und Landezeiten However, Taylor purchased life insurance in his own name at the airport before departure; when his ex-wife applied to collect, the substitution was discovered. Get the FlightAware App for the best flight tracking experience on your device. Search and rescue facilities were activated and the Coast Guard had search aircraft and surface craft in the suspect area before daylight. "We don't get newspapers out here, he told reporters. 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. 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". Members of the party hunting in the shark-infested waters for bodies believe there was an explosion. The FBI's FOIA Library contains many files of public interest and historical value. In compliance with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) requirements, some of these records are no longer in the physical possession of the FBI, eliminating the FBI's capability to re-review and/or re-process this material. The cause was suspected to have been an attempted case of Insurance fraud; . In 1954 before this case, England lost several planes to it within months of each other, thanks to metal fatigue causing the decompressions. That was before Spears was found in Arizona with Taylors car. 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. We have been unable to find any such relationship. Investigation disclosed no significant weather condition in the form of fronts, squall lines, thunderstorms, turbulence or icing affecting the route of flight. Link. National Airlines Flight 967, a DC-7B on a flight from Tampa, Florida to New Orleans, crashed into the Gulf of Mexico. Economy. 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). This search was also unsuccessful. All floating debris and bodies were from one-half to two miles east and southeast of this oil slick. See if your flight has been delayed or cancelled and track the live position on a map. The Board obtained search assistance from the United States Navy. It was founded in 1934 as a Florida-based airline. 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. Early that morning, they spotted something: a small amount of debris, a large oil slick, and several floating bodies. Spears died in Baylor Medical Center, Dallas on May 2, 1969 of coronary thrombosis. The flight accepted the clearance and stated it would remain at 14,000feet a little longer. Spears said he begrudgingly gave his Flight 967 ticket to Al Taylor, a friend who couldn't face a long drive to Dallas. 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. Don't have an account? Frank E. Todd of Miami, the pilot, radioed his last message at 12:44a.m. Al Taylor asked him to drive the Plymouth to Dallas where they were scheduled to meet up. Self-employed. Investigation failed to reveal any item of maintenance of either the aircraft or its powerplants which could be significantly related to the accident. National Airlines 19341980 "" 19701978 . 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.". At that time there was also very little airport security. Contact Us. Great post! It was founded in 1934 as a Florida-based airline. There was one witness--the attendant of a lookout tower 30 miles west of the crash site, who. 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. 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. His wife would then cash in an insurance policy for $100,000 on Spears' life. You can help us keep FlightAware free by allowing ads from FlightAware.com. 967. National Airlines Flight 967 Latest Breaking News, Pictures, Videos, and Special Reports from The Economic Times. Charts used during the several searches, with search areas well delineated, were coordinated within the various agencies to preclude duplicative and omissive effort. Mrs Taylor recalled that Dr Spears had held an unnatural sway over her former husband. I think the plane crashing was more or less a red herring in this case. A check by the company at this time showed that FAA, New Orleans Approach Control, and ARTC were also out of contact with Flight967. Who hatched the plot--Spears? As he was leaving the courthouse after his first hearing, he was observed to be whistling. Coast Guard vessels suggested searching an area some distance to the southwest of the position 2913'N, 8840'W.