None of these nine persons had been subjected to fire or smoke before death, as demonstrated by low carboxyhemoglobin levels in blood and tissue. 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. Turska participated in a few interviews about the case--notably in Life Magazine--in which he played the part of a bemused bystander. This indicated to him that the explosion took place after the plane hit the water. Yeah, it's kinda sad (and annoying) that such a good read isn't inspiring much in the way of discussion hardly at all. He had "an uncanny ability to move on at a moment's notice". [4], Spears died in Dallas, Texas on May 2, 1969, of coronary thrombosis. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. It'd make him look suspicious, even if it was the honest truth. Upon his arrest in Arizona, the FBI charged him with transporting a stolen vehicle beyond state lines. He was charged with three felony accounts and was set to stand trial in Los Angeles on December 3, 1959. "I asked him if anything had been done to plane and he said no". All 42 on board were presumed killed in the incident. Precision Air sales officer Yvonne Baldwin said the route had enormous potential, and will shorten travel times between the two countries which until now were via Nairobi in Kenya. Self-employed. 8839'W on March 11, 1960, but the XN3 TV camera revealed it to be marine wreckage. Early that morning, they spotted something: a small amount of debris, a large oil slick, and several floating bodies. Without an aircraft, this was no easy task. Carefully the investigators went through the flight manifest. It appeared that the oil was rising from the northernmost point of this oil slick. 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. [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. 8840'W. . 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. Mrs Taylor recalled that Dr Spears had held an unnatural sway over her former husband. 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. 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. Grapples were used and a variety of objects were recovered but none could be related to the aircraft. Post-mortem examinations of the nine bodies, all of which were identified by fingerprints, indicated that all had received traumatic injuries. The Flightpath. 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. Seattle, Washington, United States. This appeared to be bits of upholstery, sound deadening material, and white objects like sponge rubber pillows encased in plastic envelopes. The condition of the bodies and wreckage all fit too-- the plane ends up in tiny pieces (basically whatever floats). [] for all those decades and all the different things they got up to. 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. 02:55. 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? The U.S.S. The National crew consisted of Captain Frank Eugene Todd, Copilot Dick . Note that the whereabouts of DB Cooper on these dates is unaccounted for. He also told them that "after he left I found a case of hidden dynamite". It may be possible that the stop was in Dallas during the time of the crash. 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. The Coast Guard favored the former explanation, while the Air Force favored the latter. Track N967WN flight from Rhode Island T. F. Green International Airport to Reagan National Shortly thereafter a Coast Guard helicopter arrived. Spears had been in and out of jail in multiple states (even mistakenly deported to Canada on one occasion). Yet cracks soon appeared in this image too. The radar observer testified that this disappearance was characteristic of a target going below the scope's limits. No operational or maintenance item was found which can reasonably be linked to this accident. The second radar station at Houma, Louisiana, picked up the flight at 0046, on track and at 14,000feet altitude. A problem was discovered (broken window . Feb 2023 - Present2 months. Great attention to detail. While circling and observing, the National Convair called Coast Guard aircraft with continuous transmission, allowing the latter to home on the area. 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. The crew consisted of Captain William R. Broocke (age 54), employed by National Airlines since 1946, who had qualified to fly the DC-10 in 1972 and accumulated 21,853 flight hours in his career with 801 hours on the DC-10; First Officer Edward H. Saunders (33), employed by National Airlines since 1965, with 7,086 flight hours of which 445 hours were on the DC-10; and Flight . When Spears met secretly with his wife on January 7, he had reportedly given her the same story. The flight originated in Miami at 1022 PM the p But even then there would be no point in destroying the plane or himself. His wife would then cash in an insurance policy for $100,000 on Spears' life. Spears immediately said he had made the whole thing up after the reporter had pressured him to tell him something new. [Some context here: In the 50s, life insurance vending machines were commonplace in airports. The man was a con artist. He had become financially successful in Texas as a . Join to view profile. National Airlines Flight 967 Blogs, Comments and Archive News on Economictimes.com The aircraft was crossing an area of severe weather and possibly flew into a waterspout. FBI National Academy. I wonder how long it took the police to find out about all these shady characters. Science Earth Science Question 5 Should national parks be preserved? The flight accepted the clearance and stated it would remain at 14,000feet a little longer. The FBI had found Dr Spears through an ex-wife of Spearss associate Mr Turska. [] The final ruling was probable severe turbulence.. Despite these strange details, Mrs Taylor stuck to her story--her ex-husband had been hypnotized. At 00:55 the aircraft suddenly crashed into the Gulf of Mexico. 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. Because of the lack of physical evidence, the probable cause of this accident is unknown. PENGUIN assisted on November24 and on the following day made sonar contact at position 2916.4N, 8836.7'W. 03 hrs 40 mins . Over the course of their long friendship, Spears and Taylor had worked together on confidence schemes throughout the USA. One of these was not aboard, although a final passenger count showed 36passengers upon departure from Tampa. Add hotel. 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. Flight crew []. 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. For 3-1/2 to 4minutes the flight continued on a normal track of approximately 296 degrees magnetic. aviation industry. Thank you for the great write-up. As Mrs Spears described it, "He saw an opportunity to leave me and the babies with some financial security. 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. Flight 967 (1959) Flight 2511 (1960) Flight 27 (1973) Flight 193 (1978) Category. We have been unable to find any such relationship. The inertia of the bodies was plainly downward and forward and the forces at impact were severe. 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. Summary 185 Max talks about columnist Martha Lunken's flight under a bridge, which led to the revocation of her certificates. 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. There was no radio message of impending trouble. This position is six miles south and about five miles east of the radar-observed descent. All floating debris and bodies were from one-half to two miles east and southeast of this oil slick. This material totaled possibly less than one percent of all such material within the fuselage. An oil slick estimated to be a mile long and possibly 400yards in width ran in a north-south direction. - February 14, 1953, a DC-6 crashed into the Gulf of Mexico off Mobile, AL. 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. Track National Aeronautics and Space Administration #967 flight from Houston Ellington to Victoria Rgnl. 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. Investigation has disclosed certain details in regard to a last minute boarding of the aircraft at Tampa by a person using another person's ticket. The cause was suspected to have been an attempted case of Insurance fraud; . 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.. He said he had persuaded Al Taylor to take the dynamite on the airplane by promising to pay him $10,000 to do it. He moved to California and took up hypnotism, his business was with a doctor performing abortions (which were then illegal in the U.S.). If there was, did it come before or after the crash?