D. B. Cooper

D.B. Cooper, a notorious criminal, in 1971, hijacked a commercial jet from Portland, Oregon, to Seattle, Washington, and then escaped with the ransom money by parachuting from the plane. This led to a massive search, but the hijacker remained unidentified and was never captured, marking one of the most puzzling cases in U.S history. Cooper used the name Dan Cooper, but a journalist mistakenly reported it as D.B. Cooper, which became a popular nickname.
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On November 24, 1971, the day before Thanksgiving, a man who seemed ordinary, around mid-40s and 6 feet tall (1.83 metres) purchased a $20 ticket for Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305. He introduced himself as Dan Cooper, but it was later revealed to be a false name. Shortly after the plane took off from Portland, he handed a note to a flight attendant claiming he had a bomb in his briefcase. He then opened the briefcase, revealing a setup of wires, red sticks, and a battery. Cooper demanded four parachutes and $200,000 in $20 bills (equivalent to about $1.2 million in the early 21st century).

Upon landing in Seattle, Cooper released the 36 passengers once the authorities provided the money and parachutes. However, he kept the two pilots, a flight engineer, and a flight attendant on board. After refueling, he directed the pilots to fly to Mexico City. Following his orders, the plane flew under 10,000 feet at a speed slower than 200 knots. At around 8:00 pm, while passing through Seattle to Reno, Nevada—suspected to be near Ariel, Washington—Cooper jumped from the plane. He vanished from sight.

The FBI initiated what would become one of its most extensive and lengthy investigations, named NORJAK (Northwest Hijacking). At first, the agency believed Cooper was familiar with the planes and the region, and there were speculations he might have been a military veteran, possibly a paratrooper. However, it was later determined he lacked the necessary experience in skydiving because the jump was deemed too perilous, and he failed to notice his reserve parachute was not functional for use in training.

The FBI reported examining over 800 suspects in the initial five years, with nearly all being dismissed. Some were excluded due to DNA evidence recovered from a tie Cooper discarded before his jump. A primary suspect, Richard Floyd McCoy, was apprehended for a similar offense a few months later. Yet, he was dropped as a suspect partly because his appearance did not align with the descriptions given by two flight attendants. (While incarcerated, McCoy fabricated a weapon and escaped from jail but was killed in a confrontation with law enforcement.) There were widespread speculations that Cooper, who was dressed in a business suit, trench coat, and loafers, did not survive. At such heights, the winds reached over 200 miles per hour (322 km/h), and the parachute he used was incapable of being controlled. Moreover, he would have landed in a harsh, densely forested region.

After years of fruitless leads, investigators got a breakthrough in 1980 when a young boy discovered a decomposing package containing $5,800. It was buried along the Columbia River, north of Portland, and approximately 20 miles (32 km) from Ariel. The serial numbers on the money—all of which were $20 bills—matched those of the ransom. Nonetheless, after a thorough search, no additional evidence was found. Although the FBI continued to receive tips, in 2016, the agency officially concluded its investigation, stating that its resources were better suited for other cases.