D.B. Cooper Vanishes: $200,000 Disappears Mid-Air
A man using the name Dan Cooper boarded Northwest Orient Flight 305 from Portland to Seattle on November 24, 1971, showed a flight attendant a bomb in his briefcase, and demanded $200,000 and four parachutes. The plane landed in Seattle, where the ransom was delivered and 36 passengers were released. Cooper then ordered the plane to fly to Mexico City at low altitude with the rear stairs down. Somewhere over the forests of southwestern Washington, he jumped into a rainstorm at 10,000 feet wearing a business suit and loafers. He was never seen again. The FBI investigated for 45 years, examining over 1,000 suspects without identifying Cooper. In 1980, an eight-year-old boy found $5,800 in deteriorated $20 bills along the Columbia River. The serial numbers matched the ransom. No other trace of Cooper or the remaining money has ever been found.
November 24, 1971
55 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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