The Claim
On November 24, 1971, a man using the alias Dan Cooper hijacked Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305, demanded $200,000 in cash and several parachutes, released the passengers, and then jumped from the rear stairs of the Boeing 727 somewhere over the Pacific Northwest during a storm. He was never identified or found.
The Evidence
- A calm, detailed hijacking plan suggesting real knowledge of the aircraft.
- $5,800 of the ransom cash, found decayed along a riverbank in 1980.
- Hundreds of named suspects investigated by the FBI over five decades, none confirmed.
The Official Story
The FBI officially suspended active investigation of the case in 2016, concluding resources were better spent elsewhere, without ever identifying Cooper or confirming whether he survived the jump. Given the storm conditions, inadequate clothing, and rough terrain he jumped into, many investigators believe he likely did not survive, though no body was ever recovered to confirm it either way.
File Notes
D.B. Cooper remains the only unsolved commercial aircraft hijacking in American history, and the case has spawned annual fan conventions, amateur investigator societies, and a small industry of self-published suspect theories.