Archive # 136 The Case of D.B. Cooper

Show Notes 🎙️ INTRO In this episode, we explore the only unsolved airplane hijacking in U.S. history—the legend of D.B. Cooper. This isn’t just a crime story; it’s a mystery that’s lived on for over 50 years, fueling books, documentaries, theories, and a few strange tales along the way. We’ll walk through the timeline, the facts, and the lasting questions surrounding Cooper’s daring leap from a passenger plane in 1971. Was he a skilled criminal or a reckless amateur? And why has his story stuck with us when so many others have faded? 🕵️‍♀️ Setting the Scene It’s the day before Thanksgiving, 1971, and Portland International Airport is buzzing with routine holiday travel. A quiet man in a dark suit and tie—calling himself Dan Cooper—buys a one-way ticket to Seattle for $20 in cash. He boards Northwest Orient Flight 305, sits near the rear, orders a bourbon and soda, and appears completely ordinary… until he hands a note to a flight attendant and calmly says: “I have a bomb.” His demands are precise—$200,000 in cash, four parachutes, and a fuel truck ready for his next destination. What’s most striking is his calm, controlled demeanor and how he leaves almost no trace—other than the note, which he later takes back, and the alias that the press misreports as "D.B. Cooper." 📦 The Hijacking Cooper’s plan unfolds with eerie smoothness. After landing in Seattle, he trades the 36 passengers for his ransom money and parachutes—then instructs the flight crew to take off again, headed toward Mexico. He makes highly specific demands about flight speed, altitude, cabin pressure, and route, suggesting he knew exactly what he was doing. As the plane crosses into stormy skies over the Pacific Northwest, the rear stairway opens and Cooper disappears into the darkness. No one sees him jump. No body, parachute, or gear is found. It’s a cinematic exit that immediately cements his place in American folklore. 🔍 The Investigation The FBI quickly launches Operation NORJAK—an extensive, years-long manhunt that becomes one of the most legendary investigations in agency history. Agents comb the forests of Washington and Oregon, question parachute experts and military personnel, and distribute the serial numbers from the ransom cash nationwide. But Cooper leaves almost nothing behind—except a clip-on tie, some cigarette butts, and hair on the seat’s headrest. The only physical breakthrough comes in 1980 when a young boy finds $5,800 in decaying bills buried near the Columbia River—part of the original ransom. The find raises more questions than answers. In 2016, the FBI finally closes the case, but Cooper's fate—and identity—remain a mystery. 🧩 The Suspects Over the decades, the FBI investigated more than 800 suspects, eventually narrowing the list to just a few dozen. Many had criminal records, military backgrounds, or uncanny similarities to the mystery man known as D.B. Cooper. Some were ruled out due to mismatched descriptions or alibis. Others continue to spark debate to this day. From copycats to CIA whispers, the suspect list offers just as much mystery as the case itself. 🎖️ Richard Floyd McCoy, Jr. McCoy is often considered the closest match to Cooper—so close, in fact, that some believe they were the same person. Just months after the Cooper hijacking, McCoy pulled off a near-identical stunt, hijacking a plane using a fake grenade and parachuting out with half a million dollars. He was a military veteran and expert parachutist, which gave his case serious weight. Though the FBI ruled him out based on physical mismatches and flight attendant testimony, McCoy’s children claim new evidence may connect him to the 1971 crime. A recently discovered parachute and logbook reignited interest, and the theory refuses to fade.