Statuts: | Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Date: | lundi 16 novembre 1959 |
Heure: | 00:55 |
Type/Sous-type: | Douglas DC-7B |
Opérant pour: | National Airlines |
Loué à : | Delta Air Lines |
Immatriculation: | N4891C |
Numéro de série: | 45355/922 |
Année de Fabrication: | 1958 |
Heures de vol: | 6578 |
Moteurs: | 4 Wright R-3350 |
Equipage: | victimes: 6 / à bord: 6 |
Passagers: | victimes: 36 / à bord: 36 |
Total: | victimes: 42 / à bord: 42 |
Dégats de l'appareil: | Détruit |
Conséquences: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
Lieu de l'accident: | 57 km (35.6 milles) E de Pilottown, LA [Gulf of Mexico] ( Océan Atlantique)
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Phase de vol: | En vol (ENR) |
Nature: | Transport de Passagers Nat. |
Aéroport de départ: | Tampa International Airport, FL (TPA/KTPA), Etats-Unis d'Amérique |
Aéroport de destination: | New Orleans International Airport, LA (MSY/KMSY), Etats-Unis d'Amérique |
Numéro de vol: | 967 |
Détails: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:
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Investigating agency: | CAB |
Status: | Investigation completed |
Accident number: | final report | Download report: | Final report
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Sources:
» ICAO Circular 64-AN/58 (77-79)
»
LIFE Magazine 1 Feb 1960
Photos
Plan
Ce plan montre l'aéroport de départ ainsi que la supposée destination du vol. La ligne fixe reliant les deux aéroports n'est pas le plan de vol exact.
La distance entre Tampa International Airport, FL et New Orleans International Airport, LA est de 779 km (487 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.
Les informations ci-dessus ne représentent pas l'opinion de la 'Flight Safety Foundation' ou de 'Aviation Safety Network' sur les causes de l'accident. Ces informations prélimimaires sont basées sur les faits tel qu'ils sont connus à ce jour.