On a cold afternoon on November 24, 1971, a man known only as Dan Cooper boarded Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305 from Portland to Seattle, setting the stage for one of the most enigmatic episodes in the annals of American crime. Clad in a business suit and sunglasses, Cooper’s appearance was unremarkable, but his actions would soon captivate the nation and baffle investigators for decades.
The Hijacking
Shortly after takeoff, Cooper handed a note to Florence Schaffner, a flight attendant. Assuming it was just a lonely businessman’s phone number, she initially disregarded it. Cooper leaned toward her and whispered, “Miss, you’d better look at that note. I have a bomb.” The note was terse but clear: Cooper had a bomb and his demands were serious. He showed Schaffner a briefcase filled with wires and red sticks, convincing her of the threat.
Cooper’s demands were specific: $200,000 in cash, four parachutes, and a fuel truck standing by in Seattle to refuel the plane upon landing. After delivering his demands to the cockpit crew, the airline executives agreed to comply. The aircraft circled Puget Sound for two hours to allow authorities on the ground to gather the ransom and parachutes.
Upon landing in Seattle, the passengers were released unharmed after Cooper’s demands were met. With the money and parachutes secured, Cooper directed the plane to be flown to Mexico City, specifying a low altitude and slow speed to keep the aircraft within safe limits for a parachute jump.
The Escape
With only the pilot, co-pilot, flight engineer, and a flight attendant remaining, Flight 305 took off from Seattle-Tacoma Airport. Somewhere over the dense forests of southwestern Washington, in the cover of a stormy night, Cooper opened the rear airstair of the Boeing 727 and parachuted into darkness, vanishing with the ransom money.
The Aftermath
The search for Cooper became one of the largest manhunts in U.S. history. The FBI launched an extensive investigation, codenamed “Norjak” for Northwest Hijacking. Despite recovering a placard with instructions for lowering the aft stairs of a 727 in 1978 and a decaying package containing $5,800 of the ransom money in 1980 on the banks of the Columbia River, no conclusive evidence of Cooper’s fate or identity surfaced.
Theories and Speculations
Over the years, numerous theories about Cooper’s identity and fate have circulated. Some speculate he was an experienced skydiver; others suggest he was a desperate businessman. The FBI considered over a thousand serious suspects, including a range of convicts, ex-military personnel, and ordinary individuals, but none could be conclusively linked to the crime.
In 2016, the FBI officially closed the investigation, citing a need to reallocate resources to other priorities. The case remains the only unsolved act of air piracy in commercial aviation history, maintaining a firm grip on the public’s imagination.
Legacy
The legend of D.B. Cooper has permeated popular culture, inspiring numerous books, documentaries, and films. His audacious escape continues to inspire debate and fascination, reflecting a mix of admiration for his daring and criticism for his recklessness.
As of today, the true identity of D.B. Cooper and the whereabouts of the majority of the money remain a mystery, inviting armchair detectives and professional investigators alike to continue speculating on one of the most tantalizing unsolved crimes of the 20th century.