National Airlines flight 967, a Douglas DC-7, crashed into the Gulf of Mexico, killing all 42 occupants. 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: “Because of the lack of physical evidence, the probable cause of this accident is unknown.”