Spears said he begrudgingly gave his Flight 967 ticket to Al Taylor, a friend who couldn't face a long drive to Dallas. As Mrs Spears described it, "He saw an opportunity to leave me and the babies with some financial security. That day the two men also reportedly met with a man they referred to in letters only as "the fellow". He also told them that "after he left I found a case of hidden dynamite". If there was, did it come before or after the crash? ", 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] (. 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. This position is about 108miles east-southeast of New Orleans, about 30miles east of Pilottown, near the mouth of the Mississippi River, and very nearly on the planned course. He had hypnotized his own wife for the births of their children. For most of its existence the company was headquartered at Miami International Airport, Florida. [] The final ruling was probable severe turbulence.. Comprehensive flight tracking to enhance your FBO operations and increase sales. Thats not necessarily so. Associate Procurement Agent. Someone connected to the abortion case? Frank E. Todd of Miami, the pilot, radioed his last message at 12:44a.m. Did you know that FlightAware flight tracking is supported by advertising? 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. There have been dozens of plane crashes due to explosive decompression. and then hurry away, accidentally forgetting your luggage. Investigation disclosed no significant weather condition in the form of fronts, squall lines, thunderstorms, turbulence or icing affecting the route of flight. * Lockheed L-188 Electra This position was determined by VOR bearings taken from 14,000feet altitude. Except for the land areas and coastal waters from Mobile westward, skies were virtually clear and visibility excellent. They even raise the possibility that the two con-men may have been plotting something together. EVERETT ENGERSOL, Evergreen Park, Illinois, PEDRO MARCO, arrived in Miami from Havana, A. VINAS, Havana and Loma Linda, California, The REV. What an intriguing case - how have I never heard of this before? She received a court order to open his post office box. 8837.3'W. Lieut. 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 . A careful search was made for witnesses. The FBI had found Dr Spears through an ex-wife of Spearss associate Mr Turska. Thats another good one if youre not already familiar with it. Accordingly, communications between Coast Guard surface vessels and the National Airlines Convair were relayed by Coast Guard aircraft. Seattle, Washington, United States. This search was also unsuccessful. Mr Frank? Curiously, Al Taylor had recently been reported missing. 0 bags. She later said she had a premonition that her husband had been on that flight, and she never wavered from it. 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 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. Science Earth Science Question 5 Should national parks be preserved? The aircraft being used this particular day was a Delta Air Lines DC-7B. It was founded in 1934 as a Florida-based airline. Quickly purchase historical reports delivered via email. Members of the party hunting in the shark-infested waters for bodies believe there was an explosion. At Tampa, some passengers deplaned and others boarded. Spears had been a close friend of her husband, and she had never considered him to be a good influence. Over the course of their long friendship, Spears and Taylor had worked together on confidence schemes throughout the USA. Could it be that in spite of this vast, tangled web--this was just another plane crash? 16cm . All times herein are Central Standard based on the 24-hour clock. Dr Spears lived in an affluent suburb of Dallas, and he and his wife were relatively well-known in the citys social circles. Feb 2023 - Present2 months. 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. See if your flight has been delayed or cancelled and track the live position on a map. The aircraft was a DC-7, N 4891C, owned by Delta Air Lines and operated by National under an equipment interchange agreement. First week only $4.99! 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). [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. The sea was practically calm with waves about 1-1/2feet high moving from a northerly direction with a period of about five seconds. 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". National Airlines Flight 967 took off from Tampa (TPA) at 23:32 for a flight to New Orleans (MSY) at FL140. While spiralling, radio contact was established with Coast Guard aircraft although no direct contact was possible with Coast Guard surface vessels due to the lack of compatible radio frequencies. 1021022013 429b747-428bcf 7 Get the FlightAware App for the best flight tracking experience on your device. The flight had been on its way from Tampa, Florida, to New Orleans. [] 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. (If any were available prior to my introduction to flying, though, I can't be sure.) No seat belt abrasions were found. 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. Alice Steel Taylor had long claimed that her ex-husband was nothing more than an unwitting puppet in Spearss schemes. Unfortunately, these searches were not successful. What a tangled web. Investigators found less than 1% of its structural components and no conclusive evidence that a bomb was used. The ultimate flight tracking suite for small aircraft/general aviation (GA) owners and operators. Debt collectors got involved--suddenly "every repo man in America" was looking for a pink Plymouth. He added that the passengers apparently had no warning to don lifebelts, as only one life preserver was found among the debris. Upon his arrest in Arizona, the FBI charged him with transporting a stolen vehicle beyond state lines. Two more liferafts were soon seen in a similar condiiton. Rescuers went out in aircraft and boats, arriving before dawn and still combing the cold, rough seas as the sun came up. 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. The FBI discovered there was much more to the kindly old Dr Spears than met the eye. The man was a con artist. February 1, 1960 LINK. I think the plane crashing was more or less a red herring in this case. We partner with our EMS and hospital customers to solve the challenges of patient logistics and save lives. 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 . To qualify for the Post-9/11 GI Bill, at least one of these must be true: You served at least 36 months on active duty (either all at once or with breaks in service) and were honorably discharged, or. - February 14, 1953, a DC-6 crashed into the Gulf of Mexico off Mobile, AL. 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 . I do think Taylor took Spears spot on the plane last minute (hence only the briefcase, no luggage), but I don't think Taylor nor Spears intended to blow up the plane. 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. Submissions should outline a mystery and provide a link to a more detailed review of the case such as a Wiki article or news report. Some of the bodies showed distinct evidence of burning on portions exposed above their waterlines. Spirit airlines began offering the direct flights in 2017. Mrs Spears replied that she had not. Turska also gave wildly conflicting accounts of his involvement in the affair. All 42 occupants perished. National Airlines operated the first two legs between Miami and Tampa, and Tampa and New Orleans. 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. 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. 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. Economy. 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. OP, thank you for your work on this, especially noting the numerous sources you cited. Post-mortem examinations of the nine bodies, all of which were identified by fingerprints, indicated that all had received traumatic injuries. 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 agent's attention was drawn elsewhere, however, and he never noticed if the man boarded the flight or not. This dialogue will close in 60 seconds or you can click the exit icon in the top right corner to go back to the flight map immediately. The personal effects consisted of shoes, clothing, parts of leather suitcases and other traveling paraphernalia. Down the rabbit hole I go. 04:35. For 3-1/2 to 4minutes the flight continued on a normal track of approximately 296 degrees magnetic. 8839'W on March 11, 1960, but the XN3 TV camera revealed it to be marine wreckage. After several decades of false names, new identities, fresh starts, abandoned wives, abandoned lives--he had spent the last years running "a lucrative underground abortion business". National Airlines records do not show a ticket issued in his name and he was not carried on their records as a passenger on Flight967. Don't have an account? On November 16, 1959, an airplane vanished over the Gulf of Mexico, with 42 people onboard. The Navy utilized several vessels equipped with advanced apparatus and manned with skilled specialists. Adequate fuel, with reserve, was carried. Investigators determined that the flight crew was competent and experienced. Capt. Flight data API with on-demand flight status and flight tracking data. Revenue passenger traffic in millions of passenger-miles We appreciate you trying our new Live Surface Map feature. 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. The U.S.S. [Note: this post is largely based on information from Self-Styled: Chasing Dr Robert Vernon Spears by Alan C. Logan. May 3, 1969 LINK, Con Man, Best Man, An Air Crash - A Far Out, Far Up Mystery". Self-employed. Two military radar stations had the flight under surveillance. The FBI's FOIA Library contains many files of public interest and historical value. It was founded in 1934 as a Florida-based airline. 2918.5'N, Long. (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. 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. the meadows senior housing east meadow, ny, manchester grammar school obituaries,
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