D.B. Cooper: The Only Unsolved Airplane Hijacking in U.S. History

Event and chronology

On November 24, 1971, a man using the name “Dan Cooper” (later misreported in press as “D.B. Cooper”) hijacked Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305, a Boeing 727 traveling from Portland to Seattle, claiming to have a bomb. He demanded and received $200,000 in cash and four parachutes after landing in Seattle, released all passengers and most crew, then ordered the plane to fly toward Mexico at low altitude. Somewhere over southwest Washington state, he parachuted out of the aircraft's rear stairs into the night and was never seen again.

What later accounts allege

The FBI's investigation, codenamed NORJAK, became one of the longest in the bureau's history, examining more than 800 suspects over 45 years using evolving forensic techniques including DNA analysis of a clip-on tie Cooper left on the plane, which yielded a partial genetic profile that did not conclusively match any named suspect. The FBI officially closed the case in July 2016 to redirect investigative resources, while stating it would still review any significant new physical evidence.

Records, searches and conditions

In February 1980, an eight-year-old boy discovered $5,800 in badly deteriorated $20 bills buried along the Columbia River near Vancouver, Washington; the serial numbers matched bills from the ransom payment, confirming at least some of the money reached that specific riverbank, though how it got there — whether Cooper died nearby, discarded it, or it washed downstream from elsewhere — has never been established. No further ransom money has ever surfaced.

Independent and contrary evidence

Leading named suspects over the decades — including Richard Floyd McCoy Jr. (convicted of a similar 1972 copycat hijacking, but who did not match some witness descriptions), Kenneth Christiansen, and others — have each drawn both circumstantial supporting evidence and significant disqualifying evidence (alibi records, physical description mismatches, or in some cases confirmed incarceration during the period). No suspect has been definitively confirmed by DNA, fingerprint or documentary evidence.

What remains unknown

Whether Cooper survived the jump remains genuinely unresolved: the region he jumped over is densely forested, mountainous and was experiencing poor weather that night, and his jump technique (using a reserve chute later found to be sewn shut and unusable, suggesting inexperience) has led many investigators to believe he likely did not survive, while others argue his apparent knowledge of the aircraft's specific rear-stairs deployment mechanism suggests some aviation background that could have aided a successful landing.

Assessment

The case remains formally unsolved and officially closed by the FBI as of 2016. The recovered money confirms at least partial ransom recovery near the Columbia River; Cooper's fate, identity and survival remain unknown. No named suspect has been conclusively proven, and no additional physical evidence has surfaced since the case's closure.

Sources and limits

1. Federal Bureau of Investigation, official case-closure statement (2016)Primary law-enforcement record announcing closure and the criteria for reopening the investigation.
2. Wikipedia, “D. B. Cooper” (overview with citations to FBI records and named-suspect coverage)Consolidated summary of the hijacking, investigation, recovered money and evaluated suspects.
3. Encyclopaedia Britannica, “D.B. Cooper”General reference summary of the hijacking timeline and investigative status.