Clearly, Dr Spears had not been on that plane. The FBI then tracked him down through surveillance. 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. One part of the investigation focused on the passengers. Turska also gave wildly conflicting accounts of his involvement in the affair. 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. 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. Quickly purchase historical reports delivered via email. Flight status, tracking, and historical data for National Aeronautics and Space Administration 967 (NASA967) 01-Mar-2023 (KEFD-KVCT) including scheduled, estimated, and actual departure and arrival times. Charts used during the several searches, with search areas well delineated, were coordinated within the various agencies to preclude duplicative and omissive effort. 03 hrs 40 mins . Although sabotage was suspected, no definite cause of the crash was determined. The last radio contact with the flight was at 12:44 AM, when the flight contacted company radio in New Orleans. 65 years old at the time of the crash, he had been the national secretary of the National Association of Naturopathic Physicians and the head of the Texas Naturopath Association. That crash remains officially unexplained also. Just in case you have yet to hear about it, I recommend you check out r/AdmiralCloudberg since you love aviation mysteries. The inertia of the bodies was plainly downward and forward and the forces at impact were severe. News Stories American Airlines to start hiring pilots again Southwest To Recall Pilots And Flight . Associate Procurement Agent. - 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. Except for the land areas and coastal waters from Mobile westward, skies were virtually clear and visibility excellent. The history of the original National Airlines spanned nearly fifty years and during that time it You received a Purple Heart on or after September 11, 2001, and were honorably discharged after any amount of service, or. 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. Company calls to 967 continued without result for some time. 1. 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. I believe him lost in the crash.". Who hatched the plot--Spears? NATIONAL AIRLINES, INC., DOUGLAS DC-7B, N4891C However, the search party aboard the National Convair had decided that the last known radar position (2913'N, 8840'W) should be searched first. This page was last edited on 5 May 2019, at 15:31. Weather conditions in the area were poor, which meant that the crew had . In fact, he had vanished on November 16, 1959 - the very same day that airplane went down in the Gulf. There was one witness--the attendant of a lookout tower 30 miles west of the crash site, who. Spears said he begrudgingly gave his Flight 967 ticket to Al Taylor, a friend who couldn't face a long drive to Dallas. What a tangled web. In this role I provide oversight and management of supply and demand, schedules, supplier . 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. Track planes in real-time on our flight tracker map and get up-to-date flight status & airport information. * Boeing 727-235 The media, of course, went straight to Dr Spearss wife. "Turska was the one to fear, not Bob, Mrs Spears once said. The condition of the bodies and wreckage all fit too-- the plane ends up in tiny pieces (basically whatever floats). The agent's attention was drawn elsewhere, however, and he never noticed if the man boarded the flight or not. This indicated to him that the explosion took place after the plane hit the water. Dr Spears lived in an affluent suburb of Dallas, and he and his wife were relatively well-known in the citys social circles. Thanks for writing this all up. The industry standard flight tracking platform for business aviation (BA) owners and operators. Absolutely fascinating mystery. Sun 4/2. National Airlines Flight 967 Latest Breaking News, Pictures, Videos, and Special Reports from The Economic Times. In fact, Turska had also been facing abortion charges in November 1959 (though Turskas charges were later dropped). "We don't get newspapers out here, he told reporters. While circling and observing, the National Convair called Coast Guard aircraft with continuous transmission, allowing the latter to home on the area. The weather conditions were good. National Airlines Flight967, a DC-7B, N4891C, crashed in the Gulf of Mexico while en route from Tampa, Florida, to New Orleans, Louisiana, on .mw-parser-output .nowrap,.mw-parser-output .nowrap a:before,.mw-parser-output .nowrap .selflink:before{white-space:nowrap}November 16, 1959, about 0055c.s.t. National Airlines Flight967 of November 15, 1959, was scheduled between Miami, Florida, and New Orleans, Louisiana, with a stop at Tampa, Florida. 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. Investigators were divided on whether the aircraft broke apart on impact with the water, or exploded in the air before it went down. National Airlines Flight 967. Accordingly, the aircraft was flown in a northerly direction for some five to ten miles from the point of spiral-down, whereupon floating debris was seen. The conclusion of the Official CAB Accident Report (June 11, 1962): The Board, with the aid of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, has thoroughly investigated Mr Spears activities in order to determine whether they might have had any bearing upon the accident. 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. The personal effects consisted of shoes, clothing, parts of leather suitcases and other traveling paraphernalia. Post-mortem examinations of the nine bodies, all of which were identified by fingerprints, indicated that all had received traumatic injuries. Spectacular job. It's possible it was not a direct flight, and the next leg would have been from NO to Dallas. AA967 Flight Tracker - Track the real-time flight status of American Airlines AA 967 live using the FlightStats Global Flight Tracker. There injuries indicated that all nine persons had been seated at the time the aircraft struck the water. 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 . Thank you for the great write-up. Great write up! 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. The aircraft was crossing an area of severe weather and possibly flew into a waterspout. It was a starlit night, and good weather conditions were reported all along the route. Flight Departure Times. As it turned out, William Turska was not a model citizen himself. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. In 1954 before this case, England lost several planes to it within months of each other, thanks to metal fatigue causing the decompressions. Planes, especially larger passenger ones, were still fairly new back then-- they were still figuring out the kinks. It's quick and easy to. The main wreckage has not been located despite several well planned searches. Two military radar stations had the flight under surveillance. The flight had been on its way from Tampa, Florida, to New Orleans. 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. 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. She told them all about her missing husband and his missing pink Plymouth, which sparked a nationwide search. Seven minutes later, National Airlines flight 2511, which had been carrying 29 passengers and 5 crew members, crashed into a field in Brunswick County. (If any were available prior to my introduction to flying, though, I can't be sure.) Mr Frank? Posts about National Airlines Flight 967 written by The Flightpath. 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. 0 bags. 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. Who knows, Taylor might show up one day, alive and healthy. She contacted his work--they knew nothing. [1][2][3] In February 1960, Spears was convicted of interstate transportation of a stolen car (Taylor's Plymouth). * Lockheed Super H Constellation He was charged with three felony accounts and was set to stand trial in Los Angeles on December 3, 1959. ", 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] (. Initially, there was some speculation based on the fact that a noted Chicago mobster--Ellis Itchy Mandel--was on the flight. 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. This segment of the flight was completely routine. 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. 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. On October 5, 1945 National Airlines Flight 16, a Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar (registered NC18199) crashed into a lake near Lakeland, . 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. 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. 1 adult. No? The aircraft was airworthy at the time of departure and had an adequate amount of fuel. He was arrested for assault and battery for his wife in 1971. 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. The FBI discovered there was much more to the kindly old Dr Spears than met the eye. The man was a con artist. This search was also unsuccessful. The the bodies can get torn apart depending on their exact location on the plane, whether they were strapped in or not. Spears." Great attention to detail. The aircraft was a DC-7, N 4891C, owned by Delta Air Lines and operated by National under an equipment interchange agreement. 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. 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 Civil Aeronautics Board (predecessor of the NTSB) did not find a probable cause for the accident due to the lack of evidence. - 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. I wonder how long it took the police to find out about all these shady characters. 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. All 42 on board were presumed killed in the incident. Nearly every comment is just a "great job, best ever", and nearly all of the questions posited have no answers or discussions below them. A massive search began. Everyone loved the read as the comments here suggest and so did I but does anyone have a theory they favor? 04:35. This is the last known radio contact with Flight967. There she discovered a receipt addressed to their son Junior. Geo resource failed to load. No seat belt abrasions were found. We have been unable to find any such relationship. 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). Hudson is an Equal Opportunity Employer of all qualified individuals. Join to view profile. The aircraft remained unreported. 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 . 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. National Airlines flight 193 lies partially submerged in the shallow waters of Escambia Bay in Pensacola. And who was he? The pilot planned to conduct solo aerobatic flight manoeuvres in the 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. However, there was ample fuel to have proceeded to the flight's planned alternate or to Dallas, the next en route stop. Please note . Las Vegas, Nevada, United States333 followers 331 connections. On November 16, 1959, an airplane vanished over the Gulf of Mexico, with 42 people onboard. 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.". He had become financially successful in Texas as a . WOW! But where had he been? 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. Yeah, it's kinda sad (and annoying) that such a good read isn't inspiring much in the way of discussion hardly at all. All 42 on board were presumed killed in the incident. 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? 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. D.B. Round-trip. https://en.wikisource.org/w/index.php?title=Aviation_Accident_Report:_National_Airlines_Flight_967&oldid=9238655. Interchange flights like this were fairly common before the CAB awarded more direct routes beginning with the Southeast to West Coast case in 1961. 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. The radar observer testified that this disappearance was characteristic of a target going below the scope's limits. * Convair CV-440 Al Taylor asked him to drive the Plymouth to Dallas where they were scheduled to meet up. Science Earth Science Question 5 Should national parks be preserved? 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. 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. A theory also emerged that Spears was connected to another unexplained air disaster just months later. At 0014, while between Crab and NL1, the flight received the 0600 New Orleans weather from National Flight968, which was: "M700 overcast; 2-1/2 miles visibility; very light drizzle; fog; temperature 54; dewpoint 52; wind northeast 3; altimeter 30.14; ceiling ragged; obstruction lights out of service; see NOTAMS.". The flight departed Miami at 2212[1] and landed at Tampa at 2300. 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. According to Junior, Taylor was carrying over $600 in cash--a lot of money at the time, especially for a man in serious debt. 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. Coast Guard vessels suggested searching an area some distance to the southwest of the position 2913'N, 8840'W. [Some context here: In the 50s, life insurance vending machines were commonplace in airports. 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. 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. Boeing 747-400BCF National Airlines N702CA Scale 1/400 XX4975. 1021022013 429b747-428bcf 7 Headwinds of about 15 to 20knots at the filed flight altitude of 14,000feet were forecast. Though he was legally dead, many had begun to doubt that Taylor was ever on that flight at all. [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. 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. Some small quantity of clothing and other personal effects and several mail bags were also found. [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 . After this case, planes continued to disintegrate in flight due to explosive decompression. Mrs Spears said that when he came to see her, Spears was sad about Taylors death. 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 . See if your flight has been delayed or cancelled and track the live position on a map. 2912.3'N, Long. 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. Aviation accidents and incidents in 1978 () Jan 1 Air India Flight 855; Taylor's not going to let himself get talked into something as crazy as getting on a plane that's about to blow up. PENGUIN assisted on November24 and on the following day made sonar contact at position 2916.4N, 8836.7'W. Due to lack of evidence, however, Spears was never charged with any offense in relation to the Flight 967 crash. Replies analysing and speculating over the mystery and possible explanations are encouraged. She ultimately succeeded, and her son Junior received an undisclosed settlement. So why the stories from Spears? The company posted $1.027 billion in membership fee income compared to $967 million a year earlier, a $60 million increase, or 6.2%. Turska participated in a few interviews about the case--notably in Life Magazine--in which he played the part of a bemused bystander. He reported a "smooth flight" and unlimited visibility, but said he could see a solid overcast of fog ahead. As Logan points out, in the first three weeks of 1960 alone there had been four major airline crashes. The flight accepted the clearance and stated it would remain at 14,000feet a little longer. . In that interview, Turska said he now thought Spears had been lying to hm, and implied Spears's wife was in on the whole scam--accusing her of faking her reaction to seeing him. Spears had a long history of crime, having been arrested 17 times under 14 different aliases. Investigation disclosed no significant weather condition in the form of fronts, squall lines, thunderstorms, turbulence or icing affecting the route of flight. It may safely be concluded that there was no warning of the disaster. The 9 they found were likely ejected from the plane through a large opening during the deconpression, while the rest were blown to bits. 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. One of these was not aboard, although a final passenger count showed 36passengers upon departure from Tampa. [] for all those decades and all the different things they got up to. She called Spearss wife (who was still grieving at that time) and asked if she had seen or heard from Taylor. [Note: this post is largely based on information from Self-Styled: Chasing Dr Robert Vernon Spears by Alan C. Logan. A radar-observed descent was close to Lat. Get the FlightAware App for the best flight tracking experience on your device. Coast Guard and civil surface craft immediately searched the area exhaustively and retrieved everything sighted. Turska claimed at the time he did not even know about the airplane crash. 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. 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. Accident; Date: November 16, 1959: Summary: In-flight explosion (Bombing suspected, but not proven) Site: Gulf of Mexico 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. I cant believe I dont remember the name but the one where the guy hijacked the plane and parachuted out over Washington state? At the time of his disappearance, Al Taylor lived in Tampa and worked as a salesman for the Pioneer Tire Company. * Douglas DC-6 When she read that Dr Robert Spears had been a victim of the air disaster, she became even more curious. 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. We know he was at the airport that night, at 12:16 am. No seat belt abrasions were found. Robert Vernon Spears, of Dallas, Texas, was listed as a passenger on Flight967. Photographs depicted Dr Spears as a plump, jovial man--in a checkered suit and round spectacles, he embodied the image of a kindly family physician. 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? But two Air Force fliers who spent four hours over the scene said because the wreckage was so scattered it seemed to them the plane exploded in the air. The second radar station at Houma, Louisiana, picked up the flight at 0046, on track and at 14,000feet altitude. Over the course of their long friendship, Spears and Taylor had worked together on confidence schemes throughout the USA. BOLIVIA, N.C. (WECT) - Shortly after 2:31 a.m. on Jan. 6, 1960, the peaceful night sky over the mouth of the Cape Fear River was rocked by a large blast. Early that morning, they spotted something: a small amount of debris, a large oil slick, and several floating bodies. Self-employed. A check by the company at this time showed that FAA, New Orleans Approach Control, and ARTC were also out of contact with Flight967. 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. It was founded in 1934 as a Florida-based airline. Cheapest ticket price on Dubai to Toronto Skycraft Air Transport flight air ticket at MakeMyTrip UAE. May 3, 1969 LINK, Con Man, Best Man, An Air Crash - A Far Out, Far Up Mystery". 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 BITTERN searched separate areas using Navy sonar. 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". Length approx. 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 . 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.
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