Who knows, Taylor might show up one day, alive and healthy. A strong sharp contact, definitely bottom and metallic, was made at position 2911.6'N, 8838.2'W at a depth of 245feet. Personally I suspect that Logan has at least partially fallen prey to the charms of Dr Spears--I highly doubt Taylor is living it up in South America--but his questions are interesting ones. 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. A tragic accident due to some unforeseen mechanical malfunction or even pilot error? All 42 on board were presumed killed in the incident. Coscto also reported a Q2 net sales increase of 6.5%, to $54.24 . [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 . Sun 4/2. 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. VIGOR searched, using Navy sonar. This position is six miles south and about five miles east of the radar-observed descent. 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. At first, Turska downplayed his association with Spears, saying they were merely acquaintances and that Spears had showed up out of the blue. Self-employed. Many sonar contacts were obtained by both ships but all were evaluated as marine life. The line between the airports does. The National plane was then spiralled in a climbing turn to 7,000feet in order to obtain VOR bearings for this position. She told them all about her missing husband and his missing pink Plymouth, which sparked a nationwide search. 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. Predictive technology to strengthen customer trust in your operations. Repeated calls to it, starting at 0106 on company frequency, were not answered. A reporter happened to be in her home at the time. Explosive decompression makes a plane crash look like the plane was blown up with a large bomb, but minus any larger pieces of wreckage as well as explosive residue proving it. 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. However, at Pilottown, Louisiana, the United States Coast Guard maintains a manned lookout tower for observing surface craft approaching and departing the port of New Orleans. According to this new story, in November 1959 Spears was extremely worried about the upcoming abortion trial in Los Angeles. 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. Bombs Indicated in Two Air Disasters Monday, Dec 2 2013 . Spectacular job. Spears said: If the business did detonate during the flight, it had to be by accident [] Im still of the opinion that the plane--something else happened to it. - 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. At Tampa, some passengers deplaned and others boarded. 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 was arrested for assault and battery for his wife in 1971. The weather conditions were good. Headwinds of about 15 to 20knots at the filed flight altitude of 14,000feet were forecast. In 1954 before this case, England lost several planes to it within months of each other, thanks to metal fatigue causing the decompressions. Low frequency bearings were then taken on Grand Isle, on the New Orleans Range Station, and on the Mobile "H" facility, also from 14,000feet altitude. Taylor's not going to let himself get talked into something as crazy as getting on a plane that's about to blow up. I think the plane crashing was more or less a red herring in this case. National Air Security Operation Center (NASOC) Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Locations: (to include but not limited to the following locations) Sierra Vista, AZ; San Angelo, TX . During this time, Spears had briefly visited his wife (on January 7)--so her answers in her first interview were a lie. He moved to California and took up hypnotism, his business was with a doctor performing abortions (which were then illegal in the U.S.). Mrs Spears? That was before Spears was found in Arizona with Taylors car. Massey. 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. Compare airfares and book tickets with lowest price on different airlines in real time 24 hours. The aircraft remained unreported. National Airlines Flight 2511, registration N8225H, was a Douglas DC-6B aircraft which exploded over Bolivia, North Carolina en route from New York International (Idlewild) Airport, New York City, New York, to Miami, Florida on January 6, 1960.All 34 on board were killed in the accident. This position was buoyed and two dives were made in depths of 210 feet. 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 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 . When Spears met secretly with his wife on January 7, he had reportedly given her the same story. Turska claimed at the time he did not even know about the airplane crash. 1. The agent's attention was drawn elsewhere, however, and he never noticed if the man boarded the flight or not. As he was leaving the courthouse after his first hearing, he was observed to be whistling. [5], "Con Man, Best Man, An Air Crash - A Far Out, Far Up Mystery", "Robert Spears, 1959 bomb suspect, dies in Dallas", Aviation Safety Network report on Flight 967, Civil Aeronautics Board Aircraft Accident Report on Flight 967, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Robert_Spears_(naturopath)&oldid=1106844718, This page was last edited on 26 August 2022, at 19:28. Except for the land areas and coastal waters from Mobile westward, skies were virtually clear and visibility excellent. The Civil Aeronautics Board investigated the cause of the crash. National Airlines Flight 967; A Delta Airlines DC-7, similar to the accident aircraft. DC-7 Cockpit - From the display at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. Spears himself apparently admitted to having met with this man in New York City. This segment of the flight was completely routine. Replies analysing and speculating over the mystery and possible explanations are encouraged. * Douglas DC-8-21/31/32/51/54/61 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. Ronald Reagan National Airport. That's where the stories of him driving and Taylor flying, Taylor needing to carry the dynamite, and Taylor accidentally or purposefully igniting it all come from just stories from a guy who was trying not to get accidentally blamed from a plane crash he didn't plan or commit. 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. But where had he been? Flight 967 (1959) Flight 2511 (1960) Flight 27 (1973) Flight 193 (1978) Category. Recently, she said, Al Taylor had been strangely depressed and withdrawn, but his mood only lifted when he talked to Spears. 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. - February 14, 1953, a DC-6 crashed into the Gulf of Mexico off Mobile, AL. He had hypnotized his own wife for the births of their children. 03 hrs 40 mins . 8837.3'W. . Spear's activities in order to determine whether they might have had a bearing upon the accident. Flight Departure Times. PROBABLE CAUSE: "Because of the lack of physical evidence, the probable cause of this accident is unknown. The main wreckage has not been located . But this investigation led nowhere. Absolutely fascinating mystery. It had his signature on it. I can understand him taking out an insurance policy. Spears had been a close friend of her husband, and she had never considered him to be a good influence. I have not yet been back in that direction, but in my few decades of air travel, every flight to Tampa meant a stop in Houston before moving on, and the same can be said for the return flight. DC-7 [] Template . The history of the original National Airlines spanned nearly fifty years and during that time it Over the course of their long friendship, Spears and Taylor had worked together on confidence schemes throughout the USA. Quickly purchase historical reports delivered via email. The aircraft was a DC-7, N 4891C, owned by Delta Air Lines and operated by National under an equipment interchange agreement. 16cm . Probably one of the most intriguing cases Ive read here, what a great write up OP! Note the use of the word accident, which is used throughout the report. The flight release Tampa-New Orleans was in accordance with the Civil Air Regulations and NAL procedures. 8840'W. She put it bluntly to the Dallas Morning News: "I believe that Spears hypnotized [Taylor] into doing it.". ASSURANCE sailed on November 19, 1959, for position 3907'N - 8833'W relieving the Coast Guard Cutter NIKE, which had been standing by. 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. I am quite sure that Taylor would not have exploded it.. All 42 occupants perished. 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. News Stories American Airlines to start hiring pilots again Southwest To Recall Pilots And Flight . 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. There injuries indicated that all nine persons had been seated at the time the aircraft struck the water. 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. As it turned out, William Turska was not a model citizen himself. 967. . This website uses cookies. Thats another good one if youre not already familiar with it. Nearby radar stations reported "the flight was very close to being on course and on schedule.'' Just in case you have yet to hear about it, I recommend you check out r/AdmiralCloudberg since you love aviation mysteries. There was no radio message of impending trouble. National Airlines Flight 967 took off from Tampa (TPA) at 23:32 for a flight to New Orleans (MSY) at FL140. 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. 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. 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. One of these was not aboard, although a final passenger count showed 36passengers upon departure from Tampa. 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. The FBI's FOIA Library contains many files of public interest and historical value. Flight 967 was an interchange flight between three carriers; through plane service from Miami to Los Angeles. 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. 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. - 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. Spears had been in and out of jail in multiple states (even mistakenly deported to Canada on one occasion). Contact Us. Though he was legally dead, many had begun to doubt that Taylor was ever on that flight at all. And just a freak coincidence that a couple of conmen just happened to have a ticket? - January 14, 1951, a DC-4 crashed on landing at Philadelphia Airport with 7 fatalities. I'm from New Orleans and have flown to Tampa several times. 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. None of this disclosed conclusive evidence as to the genesis of the accident. The Civil Aeronautics Board (predecessor of the NTSB) did not find a probable cause for the accident due to the lack of evidence. Then he abruptly told her was headed to Atlanta the next day, to look for a job there. [Some context here: In the 50s, life insurance vending machines were commonplace in airports. - 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. Sun 4/9. Charts used during the several searches, with search areas well delineated, were coordinated within the various agencies to preclude duplicative and omissive effort. 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. Taylor also wanted to go to Dallas, to see a doctor about a neck injury, and to get away from his irritating ex-wife. Weather conditions in the area were poor, which meant that the crew had . Best write up Ive ever read. The sea was practically calm with waves about 1-1/2feet high moving from a northerly direction with a period of about five seconds. It revealed that Al Taylor had bought a $37,500 life insurance policy-- in Tampa airport--at 12:16 am, just nine minutes before Flight 967 departed. 2918.5'N, Long. All times herein are Central Standard based on the 24-hour clock. Al Taylor asked him to drive the Plymouth to Dallas where they were scheduled to meet up. . It was a starlit night, and good weather conditions were reported all along the route. Remember Julian Frank, the corrupt lawyer who allegedly blew up the other aircraft? 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. They even raise the possibility that the two con-men may have been plotting something together. 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. 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 considerable amount of the floating debris also exhibited signs of burning but only above waterlines. The FBI then tracked him down through surveillance. (If any were available prior to my introduction to flying, though, I can't be sure.) Track American Airlines (AA) #967 flight from Austin-Bergstrom Intl to Dallas-Fort Worth Intl. While circling and observing, the National Convair called Coast Guard aircraft with continuous transmission, allowing the latter to home on the area. The aircraft being used this particular day was a Delta Air Lines DC-7B. Mrs Taylor? 14 relations. The U.S.S. Very interesting story, indeed. GADSS-compliant global tracking and alerting for airlines and aircraft operators. Coast Guard and civil surface craft immediately searched the area exhaustively and retrieved everything sighted. This debris included parts of seats, parts of overhead racks, upholstery, items of clothing, parts of leather suitcases, shoes, a pack of cigarettes. At the time of these observations the stars were visible, the weather was hazy and there were no surface craft within his range of vision. The flight originated in Miami at 1022 PM the p -, Press J to jump to the feed. 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. Due to lack of evidence, however, Spears was never charged with any offense in relation to the Flight 967 crash. According to Logans book, Mrs Taylor was media savvy, and exaggerated her closeness with Taylor before his disappearance. National Airlines Flight 193, registration N4744, Donna, was a Boeing 727-235 en route from Miami, Florida to Pensacola on May 8, 1978. . According to the Nov. 17, 1959, edition of the New York Times, I. W. Dymond, vice president of operations for the airline, said the weather "was anticipated, but it was not a factor" in the crash. 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. These charts have been preserved for possible future use. Although sabotage was suspected, no definite cause of the crash was determined . Spears died in Baylor Medical Center, Dallas on May 2, 1969 of coronary thrombosis. 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 main wreckage has not been located despite several well planned searches. We have been unable to find any such relationship. 432 in 1951, 905 in 1955, 1041 in 1960, 2663 in 1965, 2643 in 1970, 3865 in 1975. An oil slick estimated to be a mile long and possibly 400yards in width ran in a north-south direction. The personal effects consisted of shoes, clothing, parts of leather suitcases and other traveling paraphernalia. At that time there was also very little airport security. National Airlines Flight 967 Part 01.PDF PDF document, 25,417 kB (26,027,901 bytes) Add hotel. By using and further navigating this website, you accept this. Shortly thereafter a Coast Guard helicopter arrived. Contribute to chinapedia/wikipedia.en development by creating an account on GitHub. 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. Someone connected to the abortion case? The only noteworthy observation from the gate agent in Tampa was "a man in a brown or tan suit, carrying a newspaper but no luggage, hurrying toward the Flight 967 gate right at closing time". Investigation failed to reveal any item of maintenance of either the aircraft or its powerplants which could be significantly related to the accident. I believe him lost in the crash.". National Airlines Flight 967, a DC-7B on a flight from Tampa, Florida to New Orleans, crashed into the Gulf of Mexico. 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. Spears." One or two airlines only recently started offering direct flights to Tampa. Science Earth Science Question 5 Should national parks be preserved? 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.". Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. A radar-observed descent was close to Lat. Taylors son Junior dismissed the story. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. He did not log the incident. Accident; Date: November 16, 1959: Summary: In-flight explosion (Bombing suspected, but not proven) Site: Gulf of Mexico The 9 they found were likely ejected from the plane through a large opening during the deconpression, while the rest were blown to bits. Playing upon people's uncertainties about air-travel, insurance companies did quite well off them. Cheapest ticket price on Dubai to Toronto Skycraft Air Transport flight air ticket at MakeMyTrip UAE. In spite of this string of suspicious details, the airplane was still missing, therefore there was no hope of charging Spears with anything relating to the crash. There is little or no physical evidence upon which to explain this accident. Spears said he begrudgingly gave his Flight 967 ticket to Al Taylor, a friend who couldn't face a long drive to Dallas. Track N967WN flight from Rhode Island T. F. Green International Airport to Reagan National 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. No seat belt abrasions were found. (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. Flight hour logbooks will be required at time of your Flight Assessment for verification. * Convair CV-440 According to Alan C. Logans book, Taylor had also met with Frank in New York (though Logan does not explain why). Debt collectors got involved--suddenly "every repo man in America" was looking for a pink Plymouth. 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 U.S.S. 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. Flight 967 Hardcover - January 1, 1963. National Airlines merged with Pan Am in 1980. 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.
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