Please note . The Flightpath. These charts have been preserved for possible future use. 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". For most of its existence the company was headquartered at Miami International Airport, Florida. Just a few years before, Logan writes, on Valentine's Day 1953, a National Airlines flight on the very same run--from Tampa to New Orleans--also plunged into the Gulf. Very interesting story, indeed. He also told them that "after he left I found a case of hidden dynamite". Here are the names of the people from the flight manifest. NATIONAL AIRLINES, INC., DOUGLAS DC-7B, N4891C 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. He moved to California and took up hypnotism, his business was with a doctor performing abortions (which were then illegal in the U.S.). He was charged with three felony accounts and was set to stand trial in Los Angeles on December 3, 1959. 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. 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. The flight originated in Miami at 1022 PM the p There was one witness--the attendant of a lookout tower 30 miles west of the crash site, who. I am quite sure that Taylor would not have exploded it.. Boeing. The flight accepted the clearance and stated it would remain at 14,000feet a little longer. Acknowledging "there is little or no physical evidence on which to explain this accident", the CAB was forced to conclude, after nearly three years of investigation: Because of lack of physical evidence, the probable cause of this accident is unknown. At 00:55 the aircraft suddenly crashed into the Gulf of Mexico. The company posted $1.027 billion in membership fee income compared to $967 million a year earlier, a $60 million increase, or 6.2%. He planned to intimidate the witness in that case somehow with a bomb (not to kill her but to intimidate her). This is evident by the lack of any unusual radio messages. It's possible it was not a direct flight, and the next leg would have been from NO to Dallas. - 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 cant believe I dont remember the name but the one where the guy hijacked the plane and parachuted out over Washington state? That crash remains officially unexplained also. Flight 967 Hardcover - January 1, 1963. A Tanzanian airline said on Monday it will start flights to Zimbabwe in December, plying the Harare-Dar es Salaam route three times a week. Emirates Airlines is the preferable and national . The captain and the dispatcher discussed the flight and concurred in the release. But in 1957 he was expelled from the organization in a bribery scandal. All 42 on board were presumed killed in the incident. This search was also unsuccessful. During this time, Spears had briefly visited his wife (on January 7)--so her answers in her first interview were a lie. Al Taylor asked him to drive the Plymouth to Dallas where they were scheduled to meet up. Frank E. Todd of Miami, the pilot, radioed his last message at 12:44a.m. In the weeks after the crash, the mystery of Flight 967 deepened. See if your flight has been delayed or cancelled and track the live position on a map. Compare airfares and book tickets with lowest price on different airlines in real time 24 hours. 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. [] for all those decades and all the different things they got up to. Turska participated in a few interviews about the case--notably in Life Magazine--in which he played the part of a bemused bystander. This appeared to be bits of upholstery, sound deadening material, and white objects like sponge rubber pillows encased in plastic envelopes. In this case, the plane likely suffered the same fate. * Douglas DC-6B 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. 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. This position is six miles south and about five miles east of the radar-observed descent. The National crew consisted of Captain Frank Eugene Todd, Copilot Dick . If it had been, I doubt there would be much mystery as to what happened. One part of the investigation focused on the passengers. Thats another good one if youre not already familiar with it. Shortly thereafter a Coast Guard helicopter arrived. The next morning (November 14), Taylor and Spears were together again--Taylors son Junior saw them drinking and laughing in Spearss hotel room, in a celebratory mood. It was determined that Taylor had boarded the flight using a ticket issued for Spears. 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. * Boeing 727-235 Fri, 26 May 23. . I personally think the plane wasn't blown up with explosives or there was any foul play. - February 14, 1953, a DC-6 crashed into the Gulf of Mexico off Mobile, AL. As for the insurance policy taken out by Taylor, Spears said: Taylor was sort of a nut on insurance. This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Networks opinion as to the cause of the accident. At 00:55 the aircraft suddenly crashed into the Gulf of Mexico. 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. Lowest fares guaranteed on flights from Dubai to Toronto by Skycraft Air Transport. All 42 on board were presumed killed in the accident. The media, of course, went straight to Dr Spearss wife. A theory also emerged that Spears was connected to another unexplained air disaster just months later. And that they happened to know a seedy lawyer who (allegedly) blew himself up a month later? Dr Spears lived in an affluent suburb of Dallas, and he and his wife were relatively well-known in the citys social circles. Many sonar contacts were obtained by both ships but all were evaluated as marine life. According to Junior, Taylor was carrying over $600 in cash--a lot of money at the time, especially for a man in serious debt. On November 16, 1959, an airplane vanished over the Gulf of Mexico, with 42 people onboard. Investigators determined that the flight crew was competent and experienced. He felt he had been a burden and it was a chance to free us of that burden.. . Taylor had also been married before his marriage to Alice. 14 relations. NH967 (All Nippon Airways) - Live flight status, scheduled flights, flight arrival and departure times, flight tracks and playback, flight route and airport The world's most popular flight tracker. GitHub export from English Wikipedia. So why the stories from Spears? Note that the whereabouts of DB Cooper on these dates is unaccounted for. ASSURANCE sailed on November 19, 1959, for position 3907'N - 8833'W relieving the Coast Guard Cutter NIKE, which had been standing by. "[citation needed]. [1][2][3] In February 1960, Spears was convicted of interstate transportation of a stolen car (Taylor's Plymouth). He was sentenced to the maximum term of 5 years. The freezing level along the route was at about 14,000feet and the winds at that altitude were generally from the northwest at 10-20knots. The aircraft remained unreported. Air Methods is the most responsive and reliable provider of critical care transportation solutions. FlightAware provides accurate real-time, historical and predictive flight insights to all segments of the In 1964, it became the first exclusively jet powered service in the United States . James L. Sigman, executive officer of the Coast Guard station at New Orleans, said the plane might have exploded when it struck the water. You can help us keep FlightAware free by allowing ads from FlightAware.com. Water temperatures in the vicinity of the crash were 70 degrees or more. 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". Without the planes black box, it is impossible to rule this out. This page was last edited on 5 May 2019, at 15:31. Flight crew []. He asked her not to tell Junior this. 8840'W. The mafia? [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. - May 1, 1961, Antulio Ramirez Ortiz hijacks a National Airlines flight from Miami International Airport to Cuba. 46 people perished. Except for the land areas and coastal waters from Mobile westward, skies were virtually clear and visibility excellent. For 3-1/2 to 4minutes the flight continued on a normal track of approximately 296 degrees magnetic. Taylor would fly and Spears would drive. The Navy utilized several vessels equipped with advanced apparatus and manned with skilled specialists. National Airlines 19341980 "" 19701978 . Clearly in shock, she turned to the reporter and said: "What can I say? [] The fire marks on bodies and on debris were of the type caused exclusively by a flash surface fire, probably both hot and brief, upon impact with the water. Did you know that FlightAware flight tracking is supported by advertising? If you have a couple of minutes, we'd like to collect your feedback on it. Fri, 26 May 23. See if your flight has been delayed or cancelled and track the live position on a map. An oil slick estimated to be a mile long and possibly 400yards in width ran in a north-south direction. The Civil Aeronautics Board investigated the cause of the crash. Coast Guard and civil surface craft immediately searched the area exhaustively and retrieved everything sighted. 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. He had "an uncanny ability to move on at a moment's notice". 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 . Who knows, Taylor might show up one day, alive and healthy. Associate Procurement Agent. 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 . He needed to get the dynamite from Tulsa to Dallas. Though no longer married to Al Taylor, Alice later told reporters they had been amicably divorced, and were still close. With more than 800 employees worldwide, the National Family offers rewarding opportunities for professional growth through our affiliate organizations National Air Cargo and National Airlines.We invite you to become a part of our award-winning team, and contribute to meaningful work in aviation, transportation, and global logistics. Taylor's not going to let himself get talked into something as crazy as getting on a plane that's about to blow up. 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. 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. 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. 8839'W. A massive search began. The evening started as any other at an airport terminal as 105 were set board their National Flight 601 from New York bound for Miami on a Boeing 707. He was cleared by the New Orleans Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC - ZNO) located in the terminal building at New Orleans Lakefront Airport to descend to and maintain 5,000 feet and to report leaving 8,000 feet. 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. I am not a shill but it is an interesting book.]. 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. BITTERN searched separate areas using Navy sonar. [citation needed], Spears was eventually arrested in Phoenix after being turned in by the ex-wife a fellow naturopath in Arizona. Save your money with discount and promotions and find the best deals on Trip.com! "We don't get newspapers out here, he told reporters. 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. Coscto also reported a Q2 net sales increase of 6.5%, to $54.24 . No suggestion of unfamiliarity by National crews of Delta interchange aircraft was found during the investigation. 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. 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. When she read that Dr Robert Spears had been a victim of the air disaster, she became even more curious. We know he was at the airport that night, at 12:16 am. No severe weather was forecast, anticipated or reported at flight altitudes over the route.