The Legend of D.B. Cooper: America’s Greatest Unsolved Hijacking

On November 24, 1971, a man known as D.B. Cooper boarded Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305 from Portland, Oregon, to Seattle, Washington. By the end of the flight, he would become one of the most infamous figures in American criminal history. Armed with a bomb and a plan, Cooper hijacked the plane, extorted $200,000, and vanished into the night after parachuting from the aircraft. To this day, his true identity and fate remain a mystery, making the case one of the FBI’s most enduring unsolved investigations.

The Hijacking

The man who called himself Dan Cooper (later misreported as D.B. Cooper) purchased a one-way ticket with cash and boarded the plane dressed in a business suit, black raincoat, and loafers. He carried a briefcase and a paper bag, which he claimed contained a bomb. After takeoff, Cooper handed a note to a flight attendant, demanding 

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200,000in20 bills, four parachutes, and a refueling truck upon landing in Seattle.

Cooper’s calm demeanor and precise instructions suggested he had planned the hijacking meticulously. When the plane landed in Seattle, he exchanged the passengers for the ransom and parachutes, keeping the crew onboard. The plane took off again, heading toward Mexico City, with Cooper instructing the pilots to fly low and slow.

Somewhere over the rugged terrain of the Pacific Northwest, Cooper opened the rear staircase of the Boeing 727 and parachuted into the night, disappearing without a trace.

The Investigation

The FBI launched an extensive investigation, code-named NORJAK (Northwest Hijacking). Despite combing the suspected landing area and tracking the serial numbers of the ransom money, no significant leads emerged. In 1980, a boy discovered $5,800 of the ransom money rotting on a beach along the Columbia River, but no other traces of Cooper or the cash were ever found.

Over the years, the FBI considered more than 1,000 suspects, but none could be definitively linked to the crime. The case file grew to over 40 feet long, filled with theories, leads, and dead ends. In 2016, after 45 years of investigation, the FBI officially closed the case, though they remain open to new evidence.

Key Clues and Theories

1. The Parachutes: Cooper requested four parachutes, but only one was functional. The others were training chutes, sewn shut and unusable. This has led some to believe Cooper was not an experienced skydiver.

2. The Money: The 

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4. 200,000ransomwaspaidin20 bills, and the serial numbers were recorded. Despite this, only a small portion of the money was ever recovered.

5. The Tie: Cooper left behind a black J.C. Penney clip-on tie, which the FBI later used to extract DNA. However, the sample was too degraded to provide a conclusive match.

Top Suspects

1. Richard Floyd McCoy: A Vietnam War veteran and experienced skydiver, McCoy hijacked a plane in 1972 using a similar method. He was later arrested and imprisoned but escaped and died in a shootout with the FBI. While some believe McCoy was Cooper, the FBI ruled him out due to discrepancies in his physical description.

2. Duane Weber: On his deathbed, Weber allegedly confessed to his wife, Jo, that he was D.B. Cooper. Weber had a criminal background and claimed to have knowledge of the hijacking. However, the FBI dismissed him as a suspect.

3. Kenneth Christiansen: A former Northwest Orient Airlines employee, Christiansen was suspected by his brother, Lyle, who believed Kenneth’s behavior and background matched Cooper’s profile. However, the FBI also ruled him out, citing a lack of evidence.

Theories on Cooper’s Fate

1. He Survived: Some believe Cooper was an experienced skydiver who successfully landed and disappeared with the money. This theory is supported by the discovery of the ransom money on Tina Bar beach, suggesting Cooper may have survived the jump.

2. He Died in the Jump: Others argue that Cooper’s lack of skydiving experience, combined with the harsh conditions of the jump (pitch-black night, heavy rain, and rugged terrain), likely led to his death. The fact that his body was never found is attributed to the dense wilderness of the Pacific Northwest.

3. Inside Job: Some speculate that Cooper had inside knowledge of the airline industry, possibly working for Boeing or Northwest Orient Airlines. This theory is supported by the discovery of rare aerospace materials on his tie, analyzed by a group of amateur investigators known as the Citizen Sleuths.