DB Cooper: The Most Mysterious Plane Hijacker in American History – Parachuting with $200,000 and Disappearing Forever

On November 24, 1971, a well-dressed middle-aged man named Dan Cooper (later mistakenly identified by the press as DB Cooper) carried out the most spectacular plane hijacking in American history. He bought a one-way ticket from Portland, Oregon, to Seattle on Northwest Orient Flight 305. After takeoff, Cooper handed a flight attendant a note that read: “I have a bomb in my briefcase. Sit тιԍнт and follow instructions.”

He demanded $200,000 in cash (equivalent to approximately $1.5 million today) and four parachutes. The plane landed in Seattle, dropping off pᴀssengers and crew, then took off again with Cooper, two pilots, and a flight attendant on board. Cooper requested to fly towards Mexico at a low alтιтude (approximately 3,000 meters) with the rear door open.

Around 8:13 p.m., Cooper parachuted out of the plane carrying a backpack containing $200,000. He disappeared into the darkness and snow over the Washington Mountains. The plane landed safely in Reno, Nevada. The largest manhunt in FBI history at the time began.

The only evidence found:

In 1980, an 8-year-old boy named Brian Ingram found $5,800 ($58 $20 bills) buried in the sand along the Columbia River, about 30 km from where Cooper parachuted. The bills had serial numbers matching the ransom money. This was the only evidence that Cooper had successfully parachuted (at least in part).

Where were the money and Cooper’s body?

The FBI officially concluded (2016): They believed Cooper died during the parachute jump. Bad weather conditions, low alтιтude, lack of professional parachuting experience, and unsuitable clothing made survival highly unlikely. His body may have been swept away by the river or buried in the mud.

Money: Only $5,800 was found. The rest ($194,200) never surfaced. Cooper may have buried it or squandered it before his death.

Prominent theories:

Cooper survived and lived anonymously (many people claimed to be Cooper, but all were denied).

He was a former military man with parachuting experience.

Some investigators suspect this was an “inside job” or involved insider complicity.

The DB Cooper case remains the only unsolved hijacking in the history of American commercial aviation. In 2016, the FBI officially closed the case after 45 years of investigation, concluding that Cooper most likely died. However, the mystery surrounding the remaining money and his true idenтιтy continues to intrigue the world to this day.