D. B. Cooper

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

On November 24, 1971 (Thanksgiving Eve), a man approached the Northwest Orient Airlines counter at Portland International Airport and bought a one-way ticket on Flight 305 using cash. He listed his name as 'Dan Cooper.' Eyewitnesses described him as a white male in his mid-40s, with dark hair and brown eyes, wearing a black or brown business suit, a white shirt, a thin black tie, a black raincoat, and brown shoes. He carried a black attaché case and a brown paper bag, and took seat 18-E in the last row. Shortly after takeoff at 2:50 pm PST, Cooper handed a note to flight attendant Schaffner. When she opened it, it read, 'Miss—I have a bomb in my briefcase and want you to sit by me.' Schaffner saw what appeared to be a bomb: a large cylindrical battery attached with wires to two rows of four red cylinders. Cooper demanded $200,000 in a knapsack and four parachutes. Flight attendant Tina Mucklow later described Cooper as not nervous, 'rather nice,' and 'not cruel or nasty.' He remarked, 'Looks like Tacoma down there,' and correctly noted McChord Air Force Base was a 20-minute drive from Sea-Tac. When Mucklow asked why he chose Northwest, Cooper laughed and said, 'It's not because I have a grudge against your airline, it's just because I have a grudge.' After landing at Sea-Tac around 5:46 pm, Cooper released the passengers and directed the crew to refuel for a flight to Mexico City with a stop in Reno, Nevada. After takeoff from Seattle, Cooper opened the aft door, deployed the airstair, and parachuted to an uncertain fate over a remote, heavily wooded area of Southwest Washington. Because of a reporter's error, the hijacker became known as D. B. Cooper.

Reader's Guide

The D. B. Cooper hijacking prompted immediate and major upgrades to security measures for airports and commercial aviation. Metal detectors were installed at airports, baggage inspection became mandatory, and passengers who paid cash for tickets on the day of departure were selected for additional scrutiny. The hijacking also inspired several imitators—known as the D. B. Cooper copycat hijackings—the following year. The FBI maintained an active investigation for 45 years, building an extensive case file but reaching no definitive conclusions about Cooper's identity. In 1980, a small portion of the ransom money—$5,800—was found along the banks of the Columbia River near Vancouver, Washington. The discovery renewed public interest but yielded no additional information, and the remaining money was never recovered. The FBI officially suspended active investigation in 2016, though journalists, professional investigators, and amateur sleuths continue to pursue numerous theories. The Cooper hijacking is the only documented unsolved case of air piracy in the history of commercial aviation.

Did You Know?

• Cooper ordered a bourbon and 7-Up from flight attendant Tina Mucklow after takeoff.
• The $200,000 ransom consisted of 10,000 unmarked $20 bills weighing approximately 19 pounds.
• Cooper correctly noted that McChord Air Force Base was only a 20-minute drive from Sea-Tac.
• Flight attendant Tina Mucklow described Cooper as 'not nervous' and 'rather nice.'
• A reporter's error caused the hijacker to be widely called D. B. Cooper instead of Dan Cooper.