Estado: | Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Fecha: | lunes 16 noviembre 1959 |
Hora: | 00:55 |
Tipo: | Douglas DC-7B |
Operado por: | National Airlines |
Alquilado a : | Delta Air Lines |
Registración: | N4891C |
Numéro de série: | 45355/922 |
Año de Construcción: | 1958 |
Horas Totales de la Célula: | 6578 |
Motores: | 4 Wright R-3350 |
Tripulación: | Fatalidades: 6 / Ocupantes: 6 |
Pasajeros: | Fatalidades: 36 / Ocupantes: 36 |
Total: | Fatalidades: 42 / Ocupantes: 42 |
Daños en la Aeronave: | Destruido |
Consecuencias: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
Ubicación: | 57 km (35.6 milles) E de la costa de Pilottown, LA [Gulf of Mexico] ( Océano Atlántico)
|
Fase: | En ruta (ENR) |
Naturaleza: | Vuelo Doméstico Programado |
Aeropuerto de Salida: | Tampa International Airport, FL (TPA/KTPA), Estados Unidos de América |
Aeropuerto de Llegada: | New Orleans International Airport, LA (MSY/KMSY), Estados Unidos de América |
Número de Vuelo: | 967 |
Descripción:National Airlines Flight 967 took off from Tampa (TPA) at 23:32 for a flight to New Orleans (MSY) at FL140. At 00:55 the aircraft suddenly crashed into the Gulf of Mexico.
Intensive sea and air searches resulted in finding ten floating bodies and a small amount of floating debris the following morning. The main wreckage has not been located despite several well placed searches.
There is speculation that a con man by the name of Robert Vernon Spears had sabotaged the aircraft. He had taken an air travel policy of $100,000 and gave his ticket to William Allen Taylor, of Tampa, Florida. After the accident, Spears disappeared and was later apprehended in Phoenix, Arizona. He supposedly disappeared to avoid prosecution for abortion.
The Civil Aeronautics Board, with the aid of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), thoroughly investigated Mr. Spears' activities in order to determine whether they might have had a bearing upon the accident. They were unable to find any such relationship.
Mr. Spears died May 2, 1969.
Probable Cause:
PROBABLE CAUSE: "Because of the lack of physical evidence, the probable cause of this accident is unknown."
Accident investigation:
|
Investigating agency: | CAB |
Status: | Investigation completed |
Accident number: | final report | Download report: | Final report
|
|
Fuentes:
» ICAO Circular 64-AN/58 (77-79)
»
LIFE Magazine 1 Feb 1960
Fotos
Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does
not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Tampa International Airport, FL to New Orleans International Airport, LA as the crow flies is 779 km (487 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.