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. He was charged with three felony accounts and was set to stand trial in Los Angeles on December 3, 1959. To me it just doesnt add up that Spears is going to tell his best friend of many decades, a man with essentially no history of violence, to take on this package like its Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner.. I know that he loved those babies and that if he were alive I am sure I would have heard from him. I was completely drawn in. Coast Guard and civil surface craft immediately searched the area exhaustively and retrieved everything sighted. 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". (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. Headwinds of about 15 to 20knots at the filed flight altitude of 14,000feet were forecast. She was an unflappable woman in her late fifties, with a fondness for ostentatious feathered hats, pearl necklaces, and large brooches. The flight was estimated to be at the Crab Intersection, a customary reporting point, at 0004. 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. 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. Mrs Taylor? 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. 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. Grapples were used and a variety of objects were recovered but none could be related to the aircraft. National Airlines Flight 967 of November 15, 1959, was scheduled between Miami, Florida, and New Orleans, Louisiana, with a stop at Tampa, Florida. As he was leaving the courthouse after his first hearing, he was observed to be whistling. and then hurry away, accidentally forgetting your luggage. 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. C. L. McGAVERN, Jacksonville, Florida, RENFRO (no first name), arrived from Orlando, JACK ATKINSON, Miami Springs, an inspector for the Federal Aviation Agency, Self-Styled: Chasing Dr Robert Vernon Spears by Alan C. Logan, Civil Aeronautics Board - Aircraft Accident Report, June 11, 1962, Robert Spears, 1959 bomb suspect, dies in Dallas". Investigation disclosed no significant weather condition in the form of fronts, squall lines, thunderstorms, turbulence or icing affecting the route of flight. Many sonar contacts were obtained by both ships but all were evaluated as marine life. We appreciate you trying our new Live Surface Map feature. . Letters between the two men, which Mrs Taylor believed to be evidence of a skilful manipulation by Dr Spears, could also simply indicate a strong friendship. You can help us keep FlightAware free by allowing ads from FlightAware.com. See if your flight has been delayed or cancelled and track the live position on a map. Flight hour logbooks will be required at time of your Flight Assessment for verification. Register now (free) for customized features, flight alerts, and more! The National plane was then spiralled in a climbing turn to 7,000feet in order to obtain VOR bearings for this position. February 1, 1960 LINK. He was sentenced to the maximum term of 5 years. 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". He heard no noise. Intensive sea and air searches resulted in finding nine floating bodies and a small amount of floating debris the following morning. National Airlines 19341980 "" 19701978 . No suggestion of unfamiliarity by National crews of Delta interchange aircraft was found during the investigation. 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. A massive search began. During this period an underwater television camera was lowered twice on the contact from the VIGOR but only marine life was observed. Absolutely fascinating mystery. 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. Adequate fuel, with reserve, was carried. Company calls to 967 continued without result for some time. National Airlines Flight 967 took off from Tampa (TPA) at 23:32 for a flight to New Orleans (MSY) at FL140. This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. Rescuers went out in aircraft and boats, arriving before dawn and still combing the cold, rough seas as the sun came up. 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. Comprehensive flight tracking to enhance your FBO operations and increase sales. Mrs Taylor recalled that Dr Spears had held an unnatural sway over her former husband. There is little or no physical evidence upon which to explain this accident. National Airlines Flight 967. The weather conditions were good. In this case, the plane likely suffered the same fate. 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". At the heart of the book is the crash of National Airlines Flight 967, which plunged into the Gulf of Mexico on Nov. 16, 1959. Robert Vernon Spears, a nationally known naturopathic doctor from . If you have a couple of minutes, we'd like to collect your feedback on it. Flight 967 was an interchange flight between three carriers; through plane service from Miami to Los Angeles. National Airlines Flight 967; We know he was at the airport that night, at 12:16 am. The National crew consisted of Captain Frank Eugene Todd, Copilot Dick . Some small quantity of clothing and other personal effects and several mail bags were also found. The tower is about 30 miles west of the crash site. But in 1957 he was expelled from the organization in a bribery scandal. Perhaps most bizarrely of all--Dr Spears was an expert in hypnosis. 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? * C-46 Commando 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 Flight 967 (1959) Flight 2511 (1960) Flight 27 (1973) Flight 193 (1978) Category. 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. Summary 185 Max talks about columnist Martha Lunken's flight under a bridge, which led to the revocation of her certificates. I am not a shill but it is an interesting book.]. One part of the investigation focused on the passengers. We work hard to keep our advertising relevant and unobtrusive to create a great experience. 16cm . Spears said he begrudgingly gave his Flight 967 ticket to Al Taylor, a friend who couldn't face a long drive to Dallas. 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 . The main section of the wreckage has never been found despite the efforts of Navy and Coast Guard divers. On January 20, when she was informed that her husband was alive, Mrs Spears struck a very different tone. Dr Spears lived in an affluent suburb of Dallas, and he and his wife were relatively well-known in the citys social circles. That crash remains officially unexplained also. It was determined that Taylor had boarded the flight using a ticket issued for Spears. 04:35. But where had he been? A subreddit dedicated to the unresolved mysteries of the world. In one letter, Spears urged Taylor not to use his real name in future communications, but to refer to him as F. And who was he? Frank E. Todd of Miami, the pilot, radioed his last message at 12:44a.m. Meanwhile she campaigned in the courts to have him declared legally dead (which would give her son access to the life insurance money). operated a variety of different types of aircraft. The 9 they found were likely ejected from the plane through a large opening during the deconpression, while the rest were blown to bits. Two more liferafts were soon seen in a similar condiiton. The history of the original National Airlines spanned nearly fifty years and during that time it Down the rabbit hole I go. Geo resource failed to load. A personalized flight-following experience with unlimited alerts and more. 03 hrs 40 mins . Flight crew []. Life Magazine. 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. No severe weather was forecast, anticipated or reported at flight altitudes over the route. 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 . Bombs Indicated in Two Air Disasters Monday, Dec 2 2013 . 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. For weeks Dr Spears was mourned along with the rest of the victims. Back then, you could get on a plane, put something in the luggage rack, and then right before take off say "Excuse me, is this the plane to Dallas? Another friend of Taylor reportedly told police that he had seen Al Taylor on Christmas Eve, 1959, in a crowd of Christmas shoppers in Nashville, Tennessee. The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by: National Airlines Flight 967 took off from Tampa (TPA) at 23:32 for a flight to New Orleans (MSY) at FL140. What a tangled web. The Civil Aeronautics Board (predecessor of the NTSB) did not find a probable cause for the accident due to the lack of evidence. Logan asks a number of questions--whether Taylor could have planned a murder-suicide without Spearss knowledge, whether Taylor boarded the flight at all, whether the last-minute insurance policy was an intentional red herring to throw off investigators and utterly confuse everyone? However, Taylor himself purchased $37,500.00 worth of life insurance at the airport; when his ex-wife attempted to collect on that policy, authorities were notified. Water temperatures in the vicinity of the crash were 70 degrees or more. The flight originated in Miami at 1022 PM the p Air Methods is the most responsive and reliable provider of critical care transportation solutions. The passenger manifest for Tampa-New Orleans listed 36passengers. [4], Spears died in Dallas, Texas on May 2, 1969, of coronary thrombosis. - February 11, 1952, a DC-6 crashed near Newark Airport, killing 29 out of 63 people on board. The former Mrs Taylor was becoming increasingly frantic. 8840'W. It turned out Mr Taylor was not just a gullible friend of Dr Spears--he was a criminal himself, Spears partner in crime for many years. 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. 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.. 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. The notion of intimidating the witness thus made no sense. The FBI then tracked him down through surveillance. Two dozen books on hypnosis had been found in Spears's home in Dallas. Spears himself apparently admitted to having met with this man in New York City. Boeing. Investigators were divided on whether the aircraft broke apart on impact with the water, or exploded in the air before it went down. Spirit airlines began offering the direct flights in 2017. Coscto also reported a Q2 net sales increase of 6.5%, to $54.24 . 2912.3'N, Long. 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. 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. 8837.3'W. As Mrs Spears described it, "He saw an opportunity to leave me and the babies with some financial security. Feb 2023 - Present2 months. - February 14, 1953, a DC-6 crashed into the Gulf of Mexico off Mobile, AL. From March3 through13,1960, the U.S.S. 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. Two military radar stations had the flight under surveillance. Ronald Reagan National Airport. 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. Examination of the liferafts and lifevests indicated that they had not been used for their intended purposes or prepared for such use, and all damage had been accidental and random. * Convair CV-440 "Turska was the one to fear, not Bob, Mrs Spears once said. 1021022013 429b747-428bcf 7 Divers established that the contact was a sunken ship. 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. Al Taylor asked him to drive the Plymouth to Dallas where they were scheduled to meet up. 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. None of these nine persons had been subjected to fire or smoke before death, as demonstrated by low carboxyhemoglobin levels in blood and tissue. 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. That crash remains officially unexplained also. 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 . 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. Then he abruptly told her was headed to Atlanta the next day, to look for a job there. That day the two men also reportedly met with a man they referred to in letters only as "the fellow". As Logan points out, in the first three weeks of 1960 alone there had been four major airline crashes. A radar-observed descent was close to Lat. By using and further navigating this website, you accept this. Taylor would fly and Spears would drive. For most of its existence the company was headquartered at Miami International Airport, Florida. Spears had a long history of crime, having been arrested 17 times under 14 different aliases. National Airlines Flight 967 Part 01.PDF PDF document, 25,417 kB (26,027,901 bytes) Because of the lack of physical evidence, the probable cause of this accident is unknown. aviation industry. Before the crash, Spears had briefly sought advice on his pending abortion case from a New York City lawyer named Julian Frank. [] Then you also have to think about the fact that Al Taylor was his friend since 1928. It continued on a track of 296 degrees magnetic for a few minutes, then turned right to a heading of approximately 010 degrees and disappeared from the scope at 12:51 AM. The two had met in the Missouri State Penitentiary, back when Taylor was still known as Albert O. Thompson. His story is absurd, the prosecutor said. There are a thousand ways of connecting the dots, and a thousand other explanations out there. Aviation accidents and incidents in 1978 () Jan 1 Air India Flight 855; On January 6, 1960 (less than two months after Flight 967) Frank was on board a National Airlines flight which was blown up by dynamite over North Carolina, resulting in 34 deaths. A check by the company at this time showed that FAA, New Orleans Approach Control, and ARTC were also out of contact with Flight967. November 5 After suffering an in-flight engine fire, the second North American X-15 (AF 56-6671), piloted by Scott Crossfield, breaks its Back making an emergency landing on Rosamond Dry Lake, California. but he would have had to have done some rushing to get aboard the plane because it taxied away at 12:25 am. All 42 on board were presumed killed in the incident. Las Vegas, Nevada, United States333 followers 331 connections. 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. 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. So why the stories from Spears? CAB Accident Report, National Airlines Flight 967.pdf 1,091 1,4818 556 George T Baker 1940.jpg 600 49636 MM00013951 (8091335494) (2).jpg 1,259 1,371428 At first, Turska downplayed his association with Spears, saying they were merely acquaintances and that Spears had showed up out of the blue. By all accounts, he was in financial difficulties, and had many debts. At that time there was also very little airport security. There was nothing immediately remarkable about Dr Spears. Spectacular job. Who knows, Taylor might show up one day, alive and healthy. As it turned out, William Turska was not a model citizen himself. It turned out he had a long criminal record--a string of confidence schemes, forgery, and thefts under a variety of aliases. This matter will be detailed later in this report. . Spears." She contacted his work--they knew nothing. But even then there would be no point in destroying the plane or himself. The Civil Aeronautics Board investigated the cause of the crash. In a second interview, however, Turska told a different story. This website uses cookies. 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 had his signature on it. (If any were available prior to my introduction to flying, though, I can't be sure.) Seattle, Washington, United States. Spears disappeared after the accident but was arrested in Phoenix, Arizona, with Taylor's car in January, 1960. Air Methods. Frank was covered by $900,000 in life insurance policies at the time of his death, and had also been under investigation for corruption. The aircraft being used this particular day was a Delta Air Lines DC-7B. [Note: this post is largely based on information from Self-Styled: Chasing Dr Robert Vernon Spears by Alan C. Logan. AA967 Flight Tracker - Track the real-time flight status of American Airlines AA 967 live using the FlightStats Global Flight Tracker. Searching continued through November23. The Coast Guard favored the former explanation, while the Air Force favored the latter. 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 position of 2913'N and 8840'W - at which the aircraft went off the military radar scope - was used as a focal point of search. Upon his arrest in Arizona, the FBI charged him with transporting a stolen vehicle beyond state lines. 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. Flight data API with on-demand flight status and flight tracking data. I'm from New Orleans and have flown to Tampa several times. Seven minutes later, National Airlines flight 2511, which had been carrying 29 passengers and 5 crew members, crashed into a field in Brunswick County. At 00:55 the aircraft suddenly crashed into the Gulf of Mexico. The unplanned water landing caught everyone . Full-screen FlightAware TV maps for operators or FBOs. 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 can understand him taking out an insurance policy. Although sabotage was suspected, no definite cause of the crash was determined. Thats not necessarily so. Flight Departure Times. The radar observer testified that this disappearance was characteristic of a target going below the scope's limits. She called Spearss wife (who was still grieving at that time) and asked if she had seen or heard from Taylor. Several months later, on November 7, 1960, a commercial organization was engaged to conduct a one-month search using techniques proven effective in prospecting for underwater oil structures. There was no radio message of impending trouble. After this case, planes continued to disintegrate in flight due to explosive decompression. Robert Vernon Spears, of Dallas, Texas, was listed as a passenger on Flight967. He was arrested for assault and battery for his wife in 1971. For 3-1/2 to 4minutes the flight continued on a normal track of approximately 296 degrees magnetic. 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. Investigators determined that the flight crew was competent and experienced. Great post! Carefully the investigators went through the flight manifest. All 42occupants, 36passengers and 6crew members, were killed. Sometimes passengers even boarded the wrong planes by accident. 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. This material totaled possibly less than one percent of all such material within the fuselage. - 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. Great write up! The flight departed Miami at 2212[1] and landed at Tampa at 2300. Get the FlightAware App for the best flight tracking experience on your device. All 42 on board were presumed killed in the incident. * Douglas DC-7B - 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. This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Networks opinion as to the cause of the accident. Logan points out that much of the public demonization of Spears resulted from the fact that he performed abortions--something that is viewed very differently in todays political discourse. In 1954 before this case, England lost several planes to it within months of each other, thanks to metal fatigue causing the decompressions. 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. A Spirit Airlines flight from Dallas to Orlando was diverted to an airport in Jacksonville, Fla., Thursday, March 2, 2023, after a battery from a passenger's item caught fire in an overhead bin . 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. 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. In this interview, he told a completely different story about what had happened. The FBI got involved. Nothing. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. A considerable amount of the floating debris also exhibited signs of burning but only above waterlines. 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. 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. Spears died in Baylor Medical Center, Dallas on May 2, 1969 of coronary thrombosis. See if your flight has been delayed or cancelled and track the live position on a map. His wife would then cash in an insurance policy for $100,000 on Spears' life. 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. "We don't get newspapers out here, he told reporters. With so many tantalizing details about Spears and Taylor, its easy to forget we know next to nothing about this plane crash. This air traffic control instruction/clearance was issued through National Airlines' radio station/office at Pensacola, Florida, a normal procedure before making the approach to Moisant International Airport (KMSY) in New Orleans.
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