D. B. Cooper has escaped from the FBI. The Federal Bureau of Investigation announced that it is no longer actively investigating the case related to suspect D.B. Cooper. That case revolved around the unsolved mystery of an airplane hijacking and ransom that occurred on November 24, 1971. The incident took place on a Northwest Orient Airlines flight originating in Portland, Oregon on Thanksgiving evening. The suspect purchased a single ticket under the name Dan Cooper for the 30 minute flight to Seattle, Washington. The aircraft operated for the flight was a Boeing 727-100.
D. B. Cooper timeline
After boarding the aircraft, Mr. Cooper took a seat in the rear of the aircraft cabin. Flight 305 departed on time at 2:50 pm. Once airborne, the suspect passed a note to the flight attendant seated closest to him. The attendant did not read the note, at which time Cooper allegedly told her “I have a bomb”. A list of demands was then given to the attendant. It included $200,000, four parachutes, and a fuel truck in Seattle to refuel the aircraft. The list was then passed to the cockpit crew.
The pilot contacted the control tower at the Seattle Tacoma International Airport about the situation. Air traffic control then contacted local and federal authorities. The flight circled the Seattle area for 2 hours before landing after Cooper’s demands had been met. Once on the ground, Cooper instructed the pilot to taxi to a well lit area of the tarmac. Once the cash and parachutes were delivered, Cooper allowed the passengers and two flight attendants to leave the aircraft. With the aircraft refueled, Cooper informed the cockpit crew to head southeast towards Mexico City. The flight plan also included instructions for an airspeed of 100 knots and a ceiling of 10,000 feet.
The legend of D. B. Cooper
The Boeing 727 took off again at 7:40 p.m. Two military fighter aircraft were dispatched to tail the airplane. About 20 minutes into the flight, the cockpit received an aft stairwell activation warning light. The airplane then continued on to a planned refueling stop in Reno, Nevada. Once on the ground, FBI and police agents searched the aircraft, but Mr. Cooper was long gone. The FBI rounded up possible suspects, including an Oregon man named D. B. Cooper. Even though he was eliminated as a suspect, a reporter mistakenly reported his name instead of Dan Cooper. The mistake was then repeated by many other reporters, and the legend of D. B. Cooper was born.
The FBI has searched for 45 years to try and find D. B. Cooper, or his remains. It is widely suspected that he did not survive his jump from the aircraft. The weather conditions and rough terrain over which he bailed out in the dark would have been tough to overcome.
Image from www.seattlemet.com