FBI no longer actively investigating D.B. Cooper case

  • By Wire Service
  • Tuesday, July 12, 2016 4:12pm
  • Local News
FBI drawings of 1971 hijacking suspect “D.B. Cooper.” (FBI)

FBI drawings of 1971 hijacking suspect “D.B. Cooper.” (FBI)

By Gene Johnson

Associated Press

SEATTLE — The FBI said Tuesday it is no longer investigating the enduring mystery of the skyjacker known as D.B. Cooper, nearly 45 years after he vanished out the back of a Boeing 727 into a freezing Northwest rain wearing a business suit, a parachute and a pack with $200,000 in cash.

Calling the investigation one of the longest and most exhaustive in the agency’s history, the FBI Seattle field office said in an email it was time to focus on other cases. The agency said it will preserve evidence from the case at its Washington, D.C., headquarters, but it doesn’t want further tips unless people find parachutes or Cooper’s money.

“The mystery surrounding the hijacking of a Northwest Orient Airlines flight in November 1971 by a still-unknown individual resulted in significant international attention and a decades-long manhunt,” the FBI said. “Although the FBI appreciated the immense number of tips provided by members of the public, none to date have resulted in a definitive identification of the hijacker.”

On Nov. 24, 1971, the night before Thanksgiving, a man described as being in his mid-40s with dark sunglasses and an olive complexion boarded a flight from Portland, Oregon, to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. He bought his $20 ticket under the name “Dan Cooper,” but an early wire-service report misidentified him as “D.B. Cooper,” and the name stuck.

Sitting in the rear of the plane, he handed a note to a flight attendant after takeoff. “Miss, I have a bomb and would like you to sit by me,” it said.

The man demanded $200,000 in cash plus four parachutes. He received them at Sea-Tac, where he released the 36 passengers and two of the flight attendants. The plane took off again at his direction, heading slowly to Reno, Nevada, at the low height of 10,000 feet. Somewhere, apparently over southwestern Washington, Cooper lowered the aircraft’s rear stairs and jumped.

He was never found, but a boy digging on a Columbia River beach in 1980 discovered three bundles of weathered $20 bills — nearly $6,000 in all. It was Cooper’s cash, according to the serial numbers.

Over the years, the FBI and amateur sleuths have examined innumerable theories about Cooper’s identity and fate, from accounts of unexplained wealth to purported discoveries of his parachute to potential matches of the agency’s composite sketch of the suspect.

The 40th anniversary of the case in 2011 brought a wave of attention. An Oklahoma woman told the FBI about a late uncle who showed up to Thanksgiving dinner in Oregon that year with serious injuries. A team that included a paleontologist from Seattle’s Burke Museum announced that particles of pure titanium found in the hijacker’s clip-on tie suggest he worked in the chemical industry or at a company that manufactured titanium.

A book that year, “Skyjack: The Hunt for D.B. Cooper,” by Geoffrey Gray, posited several theories, including that Cooper might have been a transgender mechanic from Washington state.

The most promising leads in recent years have come from amateurs, Gray said — including a notion put forth by a scientific illustrator at the University of Chicago that Cooper might have taken his persona from a French comic called “Dan Cooper,” a series about a test pilot in the Royal Canadian Air Force.

In one issue from 1963, the character boards an airliner wearing a dark suit and a mask over his eyes and sits in the back of the plane. He demands to be given a briefcase that’s in the cockpit, and then, wearing a military parachute, he jumps out — over a wooded area, at night, in the rain.

The comic was never translated into English, raising questions about whether the hijacker might have been a francophone.

“The fascination with Cooper has survived not because of the FBI investigation, but because he was able to do something that not only captured the public imagination, but also maintained a sense of mystery in the world,” Gray said.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

The Victorian home sits on Whidbey Island. (Alyse Young for The Washington Post)
Whidbey couple thought they found their dream home — then came the bats

The couple had no recourse after unknowingly buying a home infested with thousands of bats.

The Snohomish County Jail is pictured on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Report reveals cause of Everett man’s death in Snohomish County Jail

Terry Crusha was booked into the jail on May 17. He died three days later, part of a string of deaths there.

Boeing workers file into Angel of the Winds Arena to vote on the latest contract proposal from the company on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Boeing Machinists prepare to go back to work after strike ends

After voting no twice, 59% of union members approved the latest contract.

Twede’s Cafe is pictured at the corner of Bendigo Boulevard and North Bend Way on Sunday, June 9, 2024, in North Bend, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Relive ‘Twin Peaks’ with cherry pie and damn fine coffee at Twede’s Cafe

The North Bend cafe, known as Double R Diner on the campy cult-classic, serves up nostalgia and a damn good breakfast.

From left to right, Lt. Cmdr. Lyndsay Evans and Lt. Serena Wileman. (Photos provided by the U.S. Navy)
Remains of Whidbey Island pilots to return this week

Lt. Cmdr Lyndsay Evans and Lt. Serena Wileman died in a crash on Oct. 15.

Everett
Everett men arrested in huge bust of Seattle drug ring

On Wednesday, investigators searched 31 locations, but suspects from Lynnwood and Edmonds remained at large, officials said.

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson speaks at the Snohomish & Island County Labor Council champions dinner on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Ferguson, WA Democrats prepare for new era of showdowns with Trump

Gov.-elect Bob Ferguson and Attorney General-elect Nick Brown are readying their legal teams.

Benson Boone (Photo provided by AEG Presents)
Monroe’s Benson Boone snags Grammy nomination for Best New Artist

The Monroe High grad this year has opened for Taylor Swift and won an MTV Video Music Award.

From left to right, Ron Muzzall and Janet St. Clair
Muzzall pulls ahead of St. Clair in tight WA Senate race

Incumbent state Sen. Ron Muzzall, a Republican, led by about 600 votes Thursday night.

Lynnwood
Lynnwood caregiver accused of $674K check fraud

Prosecutors allege Sheila Saluquen defrauded the elderly owner of a car dealership for over a year.

Deborah Rumbaugh
Stanwood-Camano School District superintendent resigns

Superintendent Deborah Rumbaugh said Tuesday she’ll be gone at the end of the school year.

Crews from Reece Construction Company mill asphalt off of Madison Avenue during the beginning of construction on Tuesday, May 16, 2023, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett shares details on upcoming budget cuts

Street improvements, libraries and communications could see significant cuts as the city tackles a deficit.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.