D.B. Cooper: The Vanishing Hijacker

On November 24, 1971, a man using the name Dan Cooper hijacked Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305, collected $200,000 in ransom, and parachuted into the Pacific Northwest wilderness. He was never seen again. The case remains the only unsolved airline hijacking in American history.

The Hijacking

Cooper boarded the Portland-to-Seattle flight appearing as a nondescript businessman in a dark suit. Shortly after takeoff, he handed a note to a flight attendant claiming he had a bomb in his briefcase and demanding $200,000 and four parachutes.

The plane landed in Seattle, where Cooper’s demands were met. Passengers disembarked. Cooper then ordered the plane to take off again, heading toward Mexico City at low altitude.

The Jump

Somewhere over the Pacific Northwest, Cooper opened the rear stairs of the Boeing 727 and jumped into a stormy night with the money strapped to his body. The temperature was below freezing. He was wearing a business suit and loafers.

He was never seen again.

The Search

Despite one of history’s most extensive manhunts, no trace of Cooper was found. In 1980, a boy discovered $5,800 of the ransom money along the Columbia River, but this raised more questions than it answered.

Theories

Theories about Cooper’s fate range from survival (he was an experienced skydiver who planned his escape) to death (he perished in the jump and his body remains undiscovered). Over a thousand suspects have been investigated.

Assessment

D.B. Cooper became an American folk hero. Whether he survived to spend his money or died in the wilderness, he achieved the near-impossible: committing a crime in full view and simply vanishing.