Current Date: 08 Aug, 2025
{{entry.title}}

D.B. Cooper: Man who hijacked a plane and jumped out with a $200,000

On November 22, 1971, DB Cooper hijacked a Boeing 727, drank a whisky, smoked a fag, and then jumped out of the plane with $200,000. He was never again seen.

Who is D.B. Cooper?

An unknown man named D.B. Cooper abducted a Northwest Orient Airlines flight in 1971, demanded $200,000 in ransom, and then jumped out of the aircraft. Despite a 45-year investigation, the FBI has never managed to apprehend the unidentified man who used the alias Dan Cooper to book the flight.

Under the guise of Dan Cooper, the hijacker boarded the aircraft on November 24, 1971, with a briefcase containing explosives. He had paid cash for his one-way ticket from Portland to Seattle. According to New York magazine, the man claimed to have a bomb and passed a note to air hostess Florence Schaffner with the following instructions: “I want $200,000 by 5:00 p.m. in cash. Put in a knapsack. I want two back parachutes and two front parachutes. When we land, I want a fuel truck ready to refuel. No funny stuff or I’ll do the job.”

Cooper requested the release of the passengers upon landing in Seattle and was given the ransom. Then, after asking the pilot to take him to Mexico City, he strapped the money to himself and jumped out of the plane while it was over southwest Washington.

The FBI discovered that the name Dan Cooper was a fake while they were looking for him/his body. Then, in 1980, a boy, age 8, who was on vacation with his family discovered $5,800 in bills floating down the Columbia River. The FBI recognized them as being part of the ransom money even though they had partially disintegrated.

Over the years, the FBI investigated more than 1,000 suspects who might be D.B. Cooper, but it was unable to definitively identify him.

DB Cooper developed a cult following as a result of the newsworthy crime, with t-shirts bearing the slogan “D.B. Cooper, Where Are You?”‘ is being sold all over the country, and a store in Washington celebrates D.B. Cooper Day every year.

Was D. B. Cooper’s parachute ever found?

The DB Cooper parachute has never been located. This has prompted many conspiracy theorists to postulate that he actually survived the jump and fled with the parachute.

The FBI reported in March 2008 that they were investigating a shredded, tangled parachute discovered buried in Southwest Washington. Children were playing outside their Amboy-area home when they discovered the parachute.

A month later, it was determined that it couldn’t have been the hijacker’s parachute because it was made of the incorrect material and had the wrong design.

According to what we could gather from the people we spoke with, the parachute “just didn’t look like it was the right kind of parachute in any way,” an FBI spokesperson said.

Was any of D.B. Cooper’s money recovered?

It’s true that some of D.B.’s money was found. On the banks of the Columbia River in Vancouver, Washington, a young boy discovered $5,800 in cash in 1980. The cash’s serial number matched that of the cash given to D.B. Cooper, according to the investigators.

DB Cooper Man who hijacked a plane and jumped out with a 200000 2
photo credit: new York magazine

Nothing else, though, was ever discovered. His tie and pearl pin, which he forgot to take off with him, were the only other items that were found.

Similar Stories
The day Iceland's women went on strike

The day Iceland's women went on strike

Icelandic women went on strike for equal rights on October 24, 1975. 90% of women walked out of their jobs and homes, effectively shutting down the entire country. The men were struggling to keep up. The following year, Parliament passed a law requiring equal pay. Iceland elected the world's first female President five years later. Iceland now has the highest gender equality rate in the world.

Will & William Wests: The puzzling situation of two inmates who are identical but not related

Will & William Wests: The puzzling situation of two inmates who are identical but not related

These are the mugshots of Will West and William West, and they are not related. They were both sent to Leavenworth Prison at the same time, in 1903, and after some confusion, the staff understood they had two different prisoners with the nearly same name, who looked exactly alike. They are part of the reason fingerprints are now used as identification.

What is the story behind Wrigley chewing gum?

What is the story behind Wrigley chewing gum?

Wrigley's was originally a soap company that gifted baking powder with their soap. The baking powder became more popular than the soap so they switched to selling baking powder with chewing gum as a gift. The gum became more popular than the baking powder so the company switched to selling gum.

The History Behind the “No One Dies Alone” Program

The History Behind the “No One Dies Alone” Program

In 1986, while doing a night shift at the hospital, Sandra Clarke, a registered nurse, was asked by an elderly patient to stay. She promised to be back after checking on her other patients, but by the time she returned, the gentleman had passed away. Clarke became one of the key figures in launching No One Dies Alone, a program that allows volunteers to sit with terminal patients who have no one else.

Nathan's Famous Doctor Stunt

Nathan's Famous Doctor Stunt

When Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs first opened in 1916, the owner hired people to dress as doctors and eat hot dogs outside his shop, to convince people his hot dogs were healthy.