- 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 its height, National Airlines had a network of "Coast-to-Coast-to-Coast" flights, linking Florida and the Gulf Coast with cities along the East Coast and large . 8839'W on March 11, 1960, but the XN3 TV camera revealed it to be marine wreckage. Throughout this observation the radar scope indicated no other object. OP, thank you for your work on this, especially noting the numerous sources you cited. 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". Mrs Spears said that when he came to see her, Spears was sad about Taylors death. A check by the company at this time showed that FAA, New Orleans Approach Control, and ARTC were also out of contact with Flight967. I personally think the plane wasn't blown up with explosives or there was any foul play. [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. All floating debris and bodies were from one-half to two miles east and southeast of this oil slick. There is little or no physical evidence upon which to explain this accident. Cheapest ticket price on Dubai to Toronto Skycraft Air Transport flight air ticket at MakeMyTrip UAE. First week only $4.99! PROBABLE CAUSE: "Because of the lack of physical evidence, the probable cause of this accident is unknown. It may be possible that the stop was in Dallas during the time of the crash. These were determined, the aircraft were spiralled down to the same site, and the bearings were radioed to the Coast Guard and plotted on their charts as 2907'N and 8833'W. Early that morning, they spotted something: a small amount of debris, a large oil slick, and several floating bodies. At that time there was also very little airport security. Pertinent details are: William Allen Taylor, of Tampa, Florida, disappeared November 15, 1959, after telephoning his employer he would be late for work. 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 All 42occupants, 36passengers and 6crew members, were killed. Mrs Spears? ASSURANCE sailed on November 19, 1959, for position 3907'N - 8833'W relieving the Coast Guard Cutter NIKE, which had been standing by. The cultures of National and Pan Am also proved to be incompatible, making workforce integration difficult. 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. 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". [] Both men were in the confidence rackets at one time. Best write up Ive ever read. We have been unable to find any such relationship. No? [Some context here: In the 50s, life insurance vending machines were commonplace in airports. She received a court order to open his post office box. Though no longer married to Al Taylor, Alice later told reporters they had been amicably divorced, and were still close. 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. 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. The Navy utilized several vessels equipped with advanced apparatus and manned with skilled specialists. D.B. BITTERN searched separate areas using Navy sonar. Two more liferafts were soon seen in a similar condiiton. It is perhaps no coincidence that a PR man from National Airlines wrote a book in 1963 accusing Spears of being responsible for the crash. His wife, who had recently given birth to twins, even collected a partial payout from his $120,000 life insurance policy. 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. Clearly in shock, she turned to the reporter and said: "What can I say? GADSS-compliant global tracking and alerting for airlines and aircraft operators. . I am quite sure that Taylor would not have exploded it.. 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 BITTERN obtained four separate bottom contacts at Lat. Spears died in Baylor Medical Center, Dallas on May 2, 1969 of coronary thrombosis. It turned out he had a long criminal record--a string of confidence schemes, forgery, and thefts under a variety of aliases. The ultimate flight tracking suite for small aircraft/general aviation (GA) owners and operators. Spears said he begrudgingly gave his Flight 967 ticket to Al Taylor, a friend who couldn't face a long drive to Dallas. 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. 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. He planned to intimidate the witness in that case somehow with a bomb (not to kill her but to intimidate her). 432 in 1951, 905 in 1955, 1041 in 1960, 2663 in 1965, 2643 in 1970, 3865 in 1975. The industry standard flight tracking platform for business aviation (BA) owners and operators. National Airlines Flight 967; A Delta Airlines DC-7, similar to the accident aircraft. WOW! Long read, but totally worth it! 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. When Spears met secretly with his wife on January 7, he had reportedly given her the same story. DL967 Flight Tracker - Track the real-time flight status of Delta Air Lines DL 967 live using the FlightStats Global Flight Tracker. Probably one of the most intriguing cases Ive read here, what a great write up OP! Robert Vernon Spears, of Dallas, Texas, was listed as a passenger on Flight967. 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. To have a definitive answer I would have to do research that I am far too tired for at the moment, but I wanted to relay what little information I could think of before I passed out and forgot to come back and do it. 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. According to the Senior Passenger Agent for National Airlines, there were no established procedures in 1959 for determining if a reporting passenger was the same person for whom the reservation was made. Select the responses you agree with. This appeared to be bits of upholstery, sound deadening material, and white objects like sponge rubber pillows encased in plastic envelopes. 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. Nearby radar stations reported "the flight was very close to being on course and on schedule.'' Who hatched the plot--Spears? The inertia of the bodies was plainly downward and forward and the forces at impact were severe. Or was it all a freak accident? Flight crew []. Shortly thereafter a Coast Guard helicopter arrived. The Civil Aeronautics Board (predecessor of the NTSB) did not find a probable cause for the accident due to the lack of evidence. Debt collectors got involved--suddenly "every repo man in America" was looking for a pink Plymouth. 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. With so many tantalizing details about Spears and Taylor, its easy to forget we know next to nothing about this plane crash. 1 adult. The agent's attention was drawn elsewhere, however, and he never noticed if the man boarded the flight or not. So why the stories from Spears? If it had been, I doubt there would be much mystery as to what happened. Comprehensive flight tracking to enhance your FBO operations and increase sales. Flight hour logbooks will be required at time of your Flight Assessment for verification. His story is absurd, the prosecutor said. 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. * Douglas DC-4 Flight 967 Hardcover - January 1, 1963. DC-7 [] Template . According to this new story, in November 1959 Spears was extremely worried about the upcoming abortion trial in Los Angeles. but he would have had to have done some rushing to get aboard the plane because it taxied away at 12:25 am. 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. I am not a shill but it is an interesting book.]. National Airlines Flight 967 Blogs, Comments and Archive News on Economictimes.com This position was determined by VOR bearings taken from 14,000feet altitude. 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. With this information, Mrs Taylor's lawyer called the Tampa police department and the newspapers. Suddenly his strange behavior all made sense to her--her hapless ex-husband was a puppet, under Dr Spearss spell. 8837.3'W. 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. This website uses cookies. After he left, he phoned again three times, again asking for Junior. 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. 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. 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. The company posted $1.027 billion in membership fee income compared to $967 million a year earlier, a $60 million increase, or 6.2%. Over the course of their long friendship, Spears and Taylor had worked together on confidence schemes throughout the USA. One passenger, William Taylor, had boarded the flight using a ticket issued to Robert Vernon Spears, a convicted criminal working at the time as a naturopath. 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. In that interview, he said he knew about the plane crash, admitted taking Spears to see his wife, and said that Spears had confided in him that he wanted to start a new life: He wanted to change his character, Turska said, change his fingerprints, change everything.. Consultative detailed and customized flight tracking data reports. This all changed two months after the crash, on January 20, 1960, when Robert Vernon Spears was arrested in Phoenix, Arizona, in possession of a stolen car--a salmon-pink Plymouth. Science Earth Science Question 5 Should national parks be preserved? 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. Weather conditions in the area were poor, which meant that the crew had . 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. At that time the control tower at Moisant reported a ceiling of 1,200 feet with three-fourths of a mile visibility, light fog and rain. 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. And that they happened to know a seedy lawyer who (allegedly) blew himself up a month later? 8839'W. Upon his arrest in Arizona, the FBI charged him with transporting a stolen vehicle beyond state lines. Note the use of the word accident, which is used throughout the report. -, Press J to jump to the feed. No severe weather was forecast, anticipated or reported at flight altitudes over the route. Revenue passenger traffic in millions of passenger-miles There injuries indicated that all nine persons had been seated at the time the aircraft struck the water. Some of the bodies showed distinct evidence of burning on portions exposed above their waterlines. 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. All 42 on board were presumed killed in the incident. . VIGOR searched, using Navy sonar. The unplanned water landing caught everyone . . 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. Link. James L. Sigman, executive officer of the Coast Guard station at New Orleans, said the plane might have exploded when it struck the water. He moved to California and took up hypnotism, his business was with a doctor performing abortions (which were then illegal in the U.S.). Turska also gave wildly conflicting accounts of his involvement in the affair. 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 flight release Tampa-New Orleans was in accordance with the Civil Air Regulations and NAL procedures. 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. She put it bluntly to the Dallas Morning News: "I believe that Spears hypnotized [Taylor] into doing it.". Tampa Police Detective John C. Daniels was among those who did not buy the hypnosis theory: Taylor was in debt over his head. A radar-observed descent was close to Lat. Seattle, Washington, United States. Logan alleges "Turska was planning his own exit strategy" before the crash--in September 1959 he had put up his Arizona property for sale: "priced to sell, owner leaving state". 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. 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. Spears had a long history of crime, having been arrested 17 times under 14 different aliases. 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.". I've never heard of this and I love aviation mysteries. Streaming flight data feed for enterprise integrations with real-time, historical and predictive flight data. NATIONAL AIRLINES, INC., DOUGLAS DC-7B, N4891C An oil slick estimated to be a mile long and possibly 400yards in width ran in a north-south direction. The day before the fateful flight, Taylor had visited his ex-wife Alice Steel Taylor at her home, looking for their adult son Junior, who wasnt home. No seat belt abrasions were found. 46 people perished. 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. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time. As Logan points out, in the first three weeks of 1960 alone there had been four major airline crashes. A reporter happened to be in her home at the time. 2913'N. The line between the airports does. During this time, Spears had briefly visited his wife (on January 7)--so her answers in her first interview were a lie. 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. Las Vegas, Nevada, United States333 followers 331 connections. and then hurry away, accidentally forgetting your luggage. It's quick and easy to. He kept checking his watch, his ex-wife later said, and looked anxious to leave". Nothing. National Airlines Flight 967 took off from Tampa (TPA) at 23:32 for a flight to New Orleans (MSY) at FL140. 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. Investigators were divided on whether the aircraft broke apart on impact with the water, or exploded in the air before it went down. 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. A strong sharp contact, definitely bottom and metallic, was made at position 2911.6'N, 8838.2'W at a depth of 245feet. It was determined that Taylor had boarded the flight using a ticket issued for Spears. 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. See if your flight has been delayed or cancelled and track the live position on a map. This page was last edited on 5 May 2019, at 15:31. The captain and the dispatcher discussed the flight and concurred in the release. National Airlines Flight967 of November 15, 1959, was scheduled between Miami, Florida, and New Orleans, Louisiana, with a stop at Tampa, Florida. Investigators determined that the flight crew was competent and experienced. 8840'W. The point of fade from the scope was normal and within correlation limits. Some twelve to fifteen minutes later a Coast Guard aircraft arrived and dropped smoke markers. For 3-1/2 to 4minutes the flight continued on a normal track of approximately 296 degrees magnetic. This segment of the flight was completely routine. The FBI discovered there was much more to the kindly old Dr Spears than met the eye. I'm from New Orleans and have flown to Tampa several times. But even then there would be no point in destroying the plane or himself. 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 FBI got involved. All 42 occupants perished. Alan C. Logan is among those who dismiss this second story as fiction. The mafia? 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. [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. FlightAware provides accurate real-time, historical and predictive flight insights to all segments of the 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. The weather conditions were good. AA967 Flight Tracker - Track the real-time flight status of American Airlines AA 967 live using the FlightStats Global Flight Tracker. Associate Procurement Agent. 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. As Mrs Spears described it, "He saw an opportunity to leave me and the babies with some financial security. Compare airfares and book tickets with lowest price on different airlines in real time 24 hours. 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. * Douglas DC-8-21/31/32/51/54/61 The FBI then tracked him down through surveillance. Great write up! After forging several checks, he had skipped town and completely abandoned his first family. "[citation needed]. 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). Charts used during the several searches, with search areas well delineated, were coordinated within the various agencies to preclude duplicative and omissive effort. Repeated calls to it, starting at 0106 on company frequency, were not answered. "Turska was the one to fear, not Bob, Mrs Spears once said. Spears." 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. 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 . Life Magazine. 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. Company calls to 967 continued without result for some time. She had never liked Spears. There were nine bodies, a portion of a tenth body, five liferafts, five lifevests, and a highly diversified quantity of buoyant debris entirely from within the cabin and baggage compartments directly below it. Spears himself apparently admitted to having met with this man in New York City. 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. And who was he? [4], Spears died in Dallas, Texas on May 2, 1969, of coronary thrombosis. Mrs Spears replied that she had not. In the investigation of the January 6 crash of a National Airlines DC-6B, agents are inquiring into indications that a lawyer, Mr. Julian Frank, might have blown up the plane killing himself and 33 . This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. All 42 on board were presumed killed in the incident. I think the plane crashing was more or less a red herring in this case. Without the planes black box, it is impossible to rule this out. 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. This search was also unsuccessful. United Airlines Flight 718, a DC-7, collided over the Grand Canyon with TWA Flight 2, an L-1049 Super Constellation, . Mrs Taylor? Divers established that the contact was a sunken ship. He also told them that "after he left I found a case of hidden dynamite". The National plane was then spiralled in a climbing turn to 7,000feet in order to obtain VOR bearings for this position. They had been divorced longer than she claimed, and the divorce had been far from amicable. - February 14, 1953, a DC-6 crashed into the Gulf of Mexico off Mobile, AL. and Long. The aircraft was crossing an area of severe weather and possibly flew into a waterspout. Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Immediately they concentrated their efforts on this area, eventually retrieving: "nine bodies, a portion of a tenth body, five life rafts, five life vests, and a highly diversified quantity of buoyant debris.". 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. The the bodies can get torn apart depending on their exact location on the plane, whether they were strapped in or not. As it turned out, William Turska was not a model citizen himself. Bombs Indicated in Two Air Disasters Monday, Dec 2 2013 . Taylor had also been married before his marriage to Alice. Spears disappeared after the accident but was arrested in Phoenix, Arizona, with Taylor's car in January, 1960. All 42 on board were presumed killed in the incident. As he was leaving the courthouse after his first hearing, he was observed to be whistling. All 42 on board were presumed killed in the incident. She called Spearss wife (who was still grieving at that time) and asked if she had seen or heard from Taylor. He was subsequently apprehended by Federal authorities in Phoenix, Arizona, for having unlawful possession of Mr. Taylor's vehicle. [2] There was no evidence of any connection between Spears and the accident. FBI National Academy. Then he abruptly told her was headed to Atlanta the next day, to look for a job there. 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.
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