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with the Civil Air Regulations and NAL procedures. Current weather reports and forecasts showed both destination and alternates to be and to remain above the approved minimums. No severe weather was forecast, anticipated or reported at flight altitudes over the route. Headwinds of about 15 to 20 knots at the filed flight altitude of 14,000 feet were forecast. The captain and the dispatcher discussed the flight and concurred in the release.
Air Route Traffic Control cleared Flight 967 over the established route across the Gulf from Tampa to New Orleans at 14,000 feet altitude. The flight was estimated to be at the Crab Intersection, a customary reporting point, at 0004. At 0005 the flight reported to Tampa company radio as over Crab at 0002 and estimated NL1, also a customary reporting point, at 0031, at 14,000 feet. At 0014, while between Crab and NL1, the flight received the 0600 New Orleans weather from National Flight 968, which was: "M700 overcast; 2-1/2 miles visibility; very light drizzle; fog; temperature 54; dewpoint 52; wind northeast 3; altimeter 30.14; ceiling ragged; obstruction lights out of service; see NOTAMS."
The flight's next radio contact was with FAA Pensacola radio at 0031 requesting clearance to New Orleans and reestimating NL1 at 0035. At 0034 the flight reported over NL1 at 0033 at 14,000 feet, estimating New Orleans at 0119. Pensacola replied by delivering a clearance to Flight 967, which stipulated that it was cleared from NL1 direct to the MSY (New Orleans) omni via the 116-degree radial, and to descend and maintain 6,000 feet at the pilot's discretion. The flight accepted the clearance and stated it would remain at 14,000 feet a little longer.
At 0044 the flight again contacted FAA Pensacola and advised that it would change over to company frequency and would report to the company when leaving 14,000 feet and 7,000 feet. At this time the flight also contacted New Orleans company radio confirming the ATC clearance and reporting the weather to be CAVU with low solid (undercast) to the WNW. This is the last known radio contact with Flight 967. Repeated calls to it, starting at 0106 on company frequency, were not answered. A check by the company at this time showed that FAA, New Orleans Approach Control, and ARTC were also out of contact with Flight 967. Company calls to 967 continued without result for some time.
Two military radar stations had the flight under surveillance. The first, at Dauphin Island, near Mobile, Alabama, reported that Flight 967 continued on flight plan course during the entire time it was under their surveillance. Nothing unusual was observed and no other objects were observed in the vicinity of the flight which indicated to the station that any difficulty was being encountered. The point of fade from the scope was normal and within correlation limits.
The second radar station at Houma, Louisiana, picked up the flight at 0046, on track and at 14,000 feet altitude. For 3-1/2 to 4 minutes the flight continued on a normal track of approximately 296 degrees magnetic. It was then observed to turn right approximately 70 degrees and disappear from the scope at 0051 at Lat. 29°13'N. and Long. 88°40'W. The radar observer testified that this disappearance was characteristic of a target going below the scope's limits. Throughout this observation the radar scope indicated no other object.
The aircraft remained unreported. Search and rescue facilities were activated and the Coast Guard had search aircraft and surface craft in the suspect
