On the afternoon of 24 November 1971, an unidentified man boarded Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305 in Portland, Oregon. He was dressed in a dark suit, white shirt, black tie, and wore sunglasses, carrying a briefcase. He identified himself as Dan Cooper, though a miscommunication with the press later popularised the name “D.B. Cooper.” What followed remains one of the most audacious and baffling crimes in aviation history, an enigma that has continued to intrigue investigators and the public for over fifty years.
Shortly after takeoff, Cooper handed a note to a flight attendant, Florence Schaffner. Initially, she ignored it, assuming it was a phone number from a passenger attempting to flirt. However, Cooper leaned in and whispered, “Miss, you’d better look at that note. I have a bomb.” She read the message, which informed her of the explosive device and included a demand for $200,000 in cash, four parachutes, and a fuel truck on standby for refuelling upon landing in Seattle. Remaining calm, Schaffner relayed the message to the cockpit. The pilot, William Scott, immediately informed air traffic control, setting off a chain of events that would lead to one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of the 20th century.
The airline and authorities complied with Cooper’s demands. Upon landing in Seattle, he allowed the 36 passengers to disembark in exchange for the ransom money and parachutes. The crew remained onboard as per his instructions. Cooper then directed the plane to refuel and ordered the pilots to fly towards Mexico City at a low altitude and slow speed, suggesting he had extensive knowledge of aviation. He instructed that the rear exit stairs remain unlocked, a detail that would later prove crucial.
At approximately 8:00 p.m., somewhere over the rugged wilderness of Washington state, Cooper executed his daring escape. He opened the rear stairway and, with the ransom money strapped to his body, leapt into the freezing darkness below. The pilots, unaware of the exact moment he exited, continued their flight, eventually landing safely in Reno, Nevada. When law enforcement stormed the plane, they found no trace of the hijacker. A search began immediately, but the dense forests and harsh terrain made it nearly impossible to locate him.
The FBI launched an extensive manhunt, known as NORJAK (Northwest Hijacking), but despite searching vast areas of land and following numerous leads, they found no conclusive evidence of Cooper’s fate. Theories abounded—some believed he perished in the wilderness, unable to survive the treacherous conditions. Others suggested he had meticulously planned his escape and successfully vanished. Over the years, various individuals claimed to be Cooper or knew his whereabouts, but none of these assertions were ever proven.
One of the few pieces of physical evidence recovered was a portion of the ransom money. In 1980, a young boy named Brian Ingram discovered a decaying bundle of $20 bills along the Columbia River, matching the serial numbers of the ransom. This discovery only deepened the mystery—how had the money ended up there? Did Cooper lose some of his haul during the jump, or had he deliberately buried it? Investigators could not determine whether this suggested Cooper had survived or perished.
The FBI considered numerous suspects, though none were definitively linked to the case. Among the most famous was Richard Floyd McCoy, who carried out a similar hijacking in 1972, parachuting from a plane before being captured. However, there were inconsistencies in his case, and many believed McCoy was merely a copycat. Others, like Kenneth Christiansen, a former Northwest Orient employee with knowledge of the airline’s operations, fit the profile but lacked direct evidence tying them to the crime. Even decades later, names continued to surface, but without any concrete proof, the case remained open-ended.
Several theories suggest that Cooper did not survive the jump. He leapt into a stormy night, wearing only a business suit and loafers, into a heavily forested area with rough terrain. Experts argue that even an experienced parachutist would have struggled to navigate such conditions. The fact that no trace of his body, parachute, or the majority of the ransom money has ever been found leads many to conclude that he perished. However, counterarguments suggest that Cooper was well-prepared, having chosen the older parachutes—one of which was a training chute, possibly a deliberate attempt to deceive authorities about his skill level. His demand for a specific flight path and low speed indicated advanced knowledge of aviation, suggesting he may have had a plan in place.
The FBI officially closed the case in 2016, citing a lack of new evidence. However, amateur sleuths and conspiracy theorists continue to pursue the mystery. Some believe Cooper assumed a new identity and lived out his life in anonymity. Others suspect he may have been involved with organised crime or had military experience, which allowed him to execute the heist with such precision. The lack of a definitive resolution only fuels speculation, keeping the legend of D.B. Cooper alive.
Despite decades of investigation, the mystery of D.B. Cooper remains one of the most compelling unsolved crimes in modern history. His audacious plan, calm demeanour, and seemingly flawless execution have cemented him as a legend in popular culture. Countless books, documentaries, and fictional adaptations have been inspired by his story, each offering its own interpretation of what might have happened that fateful night. Whether he survived or not, his daring escape and the unanswered questions surrounding his fate ensure that the mystery of D.B. Cooper will continue to captivate generations to come.
