The D.B. Cooper Hijacking

On November 24, 1971, a man using the name Dan Cooper boarded Northwest Orient Flight 305 in Portland, Oregon. He hijacked the plane with a bomb threat, collected $200,000 in ransom, released the passengers, and then parachuted into the darkness over the Pacific Northwest. Despite the largest FBI manhunt in history, he was never found. D.B. Cooper became a folk legend—America’s only unsolved airplane hijacking.

The Hijacking

A middle-aged man in a business suit and dark sunglasses boarded the Boeing 727 bound for Seattle. He handed flight attendant Florence Schaffner a note claiming he had a bomb in his briefcase. His demands were simple: $200,000 in cash (approximately $1.4 million today), four parachutes, and a fuel truck waiting in Seattle. He opened his briefcase to show red cylinders, wires, and a battery.

In Seattle, the passengers and two flight attendants were released. Cooper received the money and parachutes, then ordered the plane to fly toward Mexico City at low altitude with landing gear down and flaps at 15 degrees—conditions that would allow a parachute jump from the rear stairs.

Somewhere over southwestern Washington, Cooper lowered the rear airstair and jumped into the night—into rain, freezing temperatures, and rugged wilderness. The crew felt a pressure bump at approximately 8:13 PM. He was never seen again.

The Investigation

The FBI launched an unprecedented investigation. Hundreds of agents searched the suspected drop zone while military personnel combed thousands of square miles. Every lead was investigated and over 1,000 suspects were considered. Nothing was found—no parachute, no body, no briefcase, no Cooper.

In 1980, a boy found $5,800 of the ransom money on the banks of the Columbia River—deteriorated bills whose serial numbers matched the ransom. This is the only physical evidence ever recovered. The discovery raised more questions than it answered: How did the money get there? Did Cooper survive and lose it? Did he die in the river? Did someone else find his remains?

The Suspects

Richard Floyd McCoy Jr., a Vietnam veteran and skydiver, committed a nearly identical hijacking in 1972 and was caught. Some FBI agents believe he was Cooper, but key witnesses say he wasn’t the right man. Robert Rackstraw, a former Army paratrooper and con man, denied involvement until his death in 2019. Kenneth Christiansen, a former Army paratrooper and Northwest Orient employee, was suspected by his brother who believed he confessed on his deathbed. Hundreds more have been proposed through amateur sleuthing, false confessions, and deathbed claims. None have been proven.

Did He Survive?

Most experts believe Cooper died in the jump or shortly after. He jumped into freezing rain at night over rugged, heavily forested terrain. He wore loafers, not boots. One parachute was a dummy training chute. No experienced skydiver would jump in those conditions.

But others point out that no body was ever found. The money discovered was only a fraction of the ransom. Some evidence suggests the money was placed there, not washed up. He clearly knew aircraft systems, and his calm demeanor suggested experience. The absence of any remains—despite massive searches—keeps the mystery alive.

Legacy

D.B. Cooper became an American folk hero. Annual parties celebrate “Cooper Day,” books and films tell his story, and the case influenced airport security procedures. In 2016, the FBI officially suspended active investigation while keeping the case open.

The questions remain: Who was D.B. Cooper? Did he survive the jump? If he died, where are his remains? Was it a perfect crime or a fatal miscalculation?

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On Thanksgiving eve 1971, a man jumped out of an airplane with $200,000 and vanished. Fifty years later, we don’t know his name, don’t know if he lived or died, and have found almost nothing he took with him. D.B. Cooper became the ghost of Flight 305—a man who stepped into the darkness and never came back.