D. B. Cooper: The Enigmatic Skyjacker Who Vanished with $200,000
On November 24, 1971, a man calling himself Dan Cooper boarded Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305 in Portland, Oregon, setting the stage for the only unsolved case of air piracy in commercial aviation history. Dressed in a business suit, this unassuming passenger hijacked the Boeing 727, demanded $200,000 and four parachutes, and then parachuted into the stormy night over the Pacific Northwest, never to be seen again. The audacious heist, executed with meticulous planning, has captivated the public for over five decades, spawning countless theories, suspects, and cultural references. Despite extensive FBI investigations, the true identity and fate of D. B. Cooper remain shrouded in mystery, making this case a cornerstone of unsolved phenomena.â¨
This audacious act wasnât just a crime; it was a masterclass in evasion that exposed vulnerabilities in early 1970s aviation security. The FBIâs exhaustive investigation, dubbed NORJAK (Northwest Hijacking), spanned 45 years, considered over 800 suspects, and generated a 66-volume case file, yet no definitive answers emerged. The discovery of a portion of the ransom money in 1980 only deepened the enigma, as no trace of Cooper or the bulk of the cash was ever found. This article dives into the intricate details of the heist, the investigation, and the enduring fascination with a man who seemingly outsmarted the system.
The Hijacking of Flight 305
The day before Thanksgiving 1971, a man in his mid-40s, described as 6â1â, 170-175 pounds, with olive skin and dark hair, purchased a one-way ticket for $18.52 in cash at Portland International Airport. Identifying himself as Dan Cooperâa name later misreported as D. B. Cooper due to a media errorâhe boarded the 30-minute flight to Seattle, carrying only a black attachĂŠ case. Once airborne, Cooper handed a note to flight attendant Florence Schaffner, who initially thought it was a flirtatious gesture. The note, written in felt-tip pen, revealed his chilling intent: he had a bomb and demanded she sit beside him. Opening his briefcase, Cooper showed Schaffner wires, a battery, and eight red cylinders, convincing her of the threatâs seriousness. His demands were precise: $200,000 in ânegotiable American currency,â four parachutes (two primary and two reserve), and a fuel truck ready in Seattle. The noteâs use of ânegotiable American currencyâ suggested Cooper might not be a U.S. citizen, possibly hinting at a Canadian or foreign origin, a detail noted by FBI agent Larry Carr.â¨
Cooperâs calm demeanor and specific instructions set him apart from typical criminals. He directed the pilot to inform passengers of a âminor mechanical difficultyâ to avoid panic, and the plane circled Seattle for two hours while authorities scrambled to meet his demands. Upon landing at Seattle-Tacoma Airport, Cooper ensured the plane was parked in a brightly lit, isolated section of the tarmac, minimizing the risk of sniper intervention. Northwest Orientâs Seattle operations manager, Al Lee, delivered the ransomâ10,000 $20 bills with recorded serial numbersâand the parachutes via flight attendant Tina Mucklow. Cooper released the 36 passengers and two crew members, keeping only the pilot, co-pilot, flight engineer, and Mucklow. He then ordered the plane to fly to Mexico City via Reno for refueling, at an altitude below 10,000 feet, a speed under 200 knots, with landing gear down, wing flaps at 15 degrees, and the rear staircase open. Despite Northwestâs objection that opening the staircase in flight was unsafe, Cooper insisted, revealing his familiarity with the Boeing 727âs unique rear airstair feature. Somewhere between Seattle and Reno, around 8:00 p.m., Cooper lowered the stairs and jumped into the night, carrying the money and two parachutes, one of which was a non-functional training reserve chute, sewn shutâa detail he likely missed.
The Investigation and Its Challenges
The FBI launched an immediate and sprawling investigation, interviewing hundreds of witnesses and scouring the aircraft for evidence. They recovered a black clip-on tie, a mother-of-pearl tie clip, eight Raleigh cigarette butts, and a single hair from Cooperâs headrest, but no fingerprints or the original note, which Cooper retrieved. The search for Cooper focused on a 28-square-mile area in southwestern Washington, near Lake Merwin, based on the planeâs flight path (Victor 23) and the timing of a pressure bump felt by the crew, indicating the moment Cooper jumped. Using helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, and ground teams from the Oregon Army National Guard, FBI, and Fort Lewis soldiers, authorities combed Clark and Cowlitz Counties in 1972, but found only broken treetops and unrelated debris. A submarine search of Lake Merwinâs 200-foot depths by Electronic Explorations Company yielded nothing. The harsh terrainâforested, hilly, and blanketed by rain and snowâcombined with Cooperâs attire (loafers, a trench coat, and no survival gear) led the FBI to speculate he didnât survive. Special Agent Larry Carr noted that no experienced parachutist would attempt such a jump in a storm, at night, with 200-mph winds, and the sewn-shut reserve chute further diminished his chances. â¨A significant break came in 1980 when eight-year-old Brian Ingram found $5,800 of the ransom moneyâthree packets of deteriorated $20 billsâon Tena Bar, a Columbia River beach near Vancouver, Washington, 45 miles from Cooperâs suspected landing zone. The serial numbers matched the ransom, reigniting public interest, but no additional bills surfaced, and the find raised more questions than answers. Why was the money there? Did Cooper lose it during his jump, or did he deliberately discard it? The FBIâs theory that Cooper perished was bolstered by the fact that none of the remaining $194,200 ever reentered circulation, as the serial numbers were widely publicized. However, Cooperâs meticulous planningâhis knowledge of the 727âs mechanics, aviation terminology, and evidence retrievalâsuggested he was no amateur. Profilers concluded he was intelligent, methodical, and likely desperate, possibly an aviation industry worker, such as a cargo loader, with basic parachute training. The investigation considered over 1,000 suspects, including Richard Floyd McCoy Jr., who staged a similar hijacking in 1972, but discrepancies in age and alibi ruled him out. In 2016, the FBI suspended active investigation, citing resource priorities, but preserved the case file for historical purposes, leaving the mystery open to public scrutiny.
Over the decades, numerous suspects emerged, none definitively linked to Cooper. Duane Weber, a career criminal, was implicated by his widow, Jo Weber, who recalled his 1979 trip to Tena Bar and a deathbed confession: âIâm Dan Cooper.â Weberâs criminal record and a knee injury from a supposed plane jump fueled speculation, but no concrete evidence connected him. Lynn Doyle âLDâ Cooper was proposed by his niece, Marla Cooper, who claimed he arrived bloodied at her grandmotherâs Oregon home on Thanksgiving 1971, muttering about a hijacking. Marla passed a polygraph, but the FBI found her story inconclusive. William Gossett, a military veteran with jump training, was suspected after allegedly showing his sons a sketch of Cooper and claiming responsibility; a key to a Vancouver bank deposit box hinted at stashed ransom, but Gossettâs 2003 death left the theory unverified. Robert Rackstraw, a pilot and ex-convict, drew attention after a 1978 arrest, with a coded letter allegedly sent by Cooper pointing to him, but he denied involvement until his 2019 death. Recent forensic analysis, including rare earth metals on Cooperâs tie suggesting an aviation industry job, and a 2023 claim by siblings of Richard McCoy Jr. about a parachute found on their family farm, have kept the case alive, though the parachute was later debunked as the wrong model. â¨The D. B. Cooper mystery transcends its criminal roots, becoming a cultural phenomenon. Cooperâs non-violent approachâreleasing passengers unharmedâand his apparent escape cemented his status as a folk hero, inspiring songs, books, movies like The Pursuit of D. B. Cooper (1981), and documentaries such as Netflixâs D. B. Cooper: Where Are You?! (2022). The annual CooperCon in Vancouver and Ariel, Washingtonâs D. B. Cooper look-alike contest reflect ongoing fascination. The heistâs impact on aviation security was profound: the FAA mandated passenger and luggage screening, cockpit peepholes, and the âCooper vane,â a latch preventing rear stair deployment mid-flight, named after the hijacker himself. Theories aboundâdid Cooper die in the wilderness, or did he vanish into a new identity? The phrase âD. B. Cooperâ evokes not just a crime but a symbol of defiance and mystery, a puzzle that continues to challenge sleuths and captivate the imagination.
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