On November 27, 1971, in Portland, Oregon, a man who identified himself as “Dan Cooper” purchased a ticket for Northwest-Orient Airlines Flight 305 to Seattle, Washington. He was a well-dressed individual, wearing a stylish dark suit complemented by a pearl tiepin. This man, approximately forty-five years old and standing at around six feet tall with black hair (Abacha and Gilmore 233), would go down in American history as the only person to successfully evade capture after hijacking a U.S. plane (Warchol 1). Shortly after the plane took off, Cooper, having enjoyed his cigarette, bourbon, and soda, handed a note to one of the plane’s two stewardesses (Warchol 1; “D. B. Cooper” 1).
The flight attendant, Florence Schaffner, had intended to read the note later, however, another passenger insisted she read it immediately (“D. B. Cooper” 1). In the note, it stated, “I have a bomb in my briefcase. I will use it if necessary. I want you to sit next to me. You are being hijacked” (Vartabedian). Cooper demanded $200,000 in $20 bills and four parachutes. The FBI provided the requested money and parachutes, refraining from tampering with them due to concerns that he might jump with others. Ultimately, at the Seattle Airport, Cooper released all passengers and one flight attendant as per his demands.
With the crew held hostage, Cooper instructed pilot William Scott to fly the plane to Mexico City, not exceeding 10,000 feet and a speed of 150 knots so he could safely jump. Scott redirected the plane to Reno, Nevada for refueling. At 8:24pm, Cooper skydived from the rear of the aircraft in Washington’s stormy forest, abandoning his tie and pearl tie pin.
Despite conducting multiple searches, the FBI could not locate any traces of the money, the parachute, or Cooper himself in the forest (Abacha and Gilmore 234). However, in 1980, a young boy discovered $5,800 from the ransom money along the Columbia River near Vancouver, although the remaining sum was never put back into circulation (Warchol 1; Abacha and Gilmore). Although initially known as Dan Cooper, the FBI later discovered that an individual with that name was not connected to the crime (Abacha and Gilmore 234). Additionally, a few months after Cooper’s disappearance, another similar skyjacking incident occurred, carried out by Richard McCoy (Warchol 1).
McCoy parachuted from a Boeing 727 over Provo, California, with a $500,000 ransom found later in his home (Warchol 1; Abacha and Gilmore 234). He was sentenced to forty-five years in prison but escaped in 1974 using a makeshift pistol made from dental paste. However, he died in a shootout with the police (Warchol 1; Abacha and Gilmore 234).
In 1995, Duane Weber confessed on his deathbed to his wife, Jo, that he was Dan Cooper. Jo researched the name and discovered D. B. Cooper, whose description closely resembled her husband’s appearance when he was young.
The FBI conducted a comparison of his fingerprints with the sixty-six found on the plane, but none of them were a match (Abacha and Gilmore 234). In 2011, a woman named Marla Cooper made the claim that D. B. Cooper was her deceased uncle, who had passed away in 1999. According to Cooper, her uncle L. D. Cooper had returned home with blood on him and announced to the family that their financial struggles were over because he had hijacked a plane. Additionally, she revealed that her father disclosed to her prior to his death that L. D. Cooper was responsible for the hijacking (Johnson and Welch). However, L. D.
According to Warchol (1), Cooper’s elimination as a suspect occurred when his DNA did not match the DNA found on the tie left behind by D. B. Cooper on the plane. While Marla Cooper may recall her uncle’s claims and her father’s declarations, it is Duane Weber who presents the most plausible story. Sani Abacha and Gary Gilmore provide convincing evidence in their book, establishing Weber as a likely candidate for being D. B. Cooper. When Weber’s wife compared his pictures to the composite sketch of Dan Cooper, the resemblance was so remarkable that the FBI launched an investigation.
Weber, described as having black hair, weighing 185 pounds, standing at 6’1”, and being a chain-smoking bourbon drinker, matched the physical description of D. B. Cooper, who was reportedly around 170 pounds and six feet tall. Despite Weber’s wish for his secret to be buried with him, his wife’s curiosity got the better of her (Abacha and Gilmore 234). Further evidence emerged when Jo discovered that her husband had possessed a white canvas bag similar to the one used to store the ransom. Moreover, a mysterious ticket stub for Northwest Orient Airlines from Portland to Seattle was found. Weber initially dismissed the discovery, but it later mysteriously disappeared.
According to a deathbed comment, Duane had a buried sum of $173,000 (Abacha and Gilmore 234). Another intriguing discovery was the 1979 trip taken by Jo and Duane to the Columbia River near Portland. During this trip, Duane had ventured alone to the riverside, a location where a boy later found $5,800 in ransom money just months afterwards (Abacha and Gilmore 234). Although this evidence was classified as circumstantial, it possessed more strength than the evidence against other suspects (Abacha and Gilmore 234). Richard McCoy being D. B. Cooper was a possibility given these findings.
Cooper managed to escape before, so he might be able to do it again. The McCoy hijack and several others that occurred after it might have been imitations of the original hijacking (Abacha and Gilmore 234). It is possible that Marla Cooper remembered incorrectly or was not telling the truth. She was only eight years old when she overheard her uncle’s claim about the hijacking, so she could have misunderstood or mistakenly remembered (Johnson and Welch). The FBI compared Duane Weber’s fingerprints with the ones found on the plane, but they are uncertain if any of those prints actually belonged to Cooper (Abacha and Gilmore 234).
He may have been intelligent enough to wear gloves; he demonstrated intelligence by requesting multiple parachutes and specifying the plane’s altitude and speed during the hijacking (“D. B. Cooper” 1). Another theory suggests that Cooper did not survive the jump. Himmelsbach, an FBI agent involved in the Cooper case for eight years, asserts that Cooper’s body remains in the same location where he landed after jumping from the plane. Given the freezing weather conditions and his attire, survival seems unlikely (Vartabedian). However, he did leave behind his tie and tiepin, suggesting he may have had a change of clothing (Abacha and Gilmore). As for the money, it is possible that it never entered circulation because Cooper may have been too fearful of being caught to consider using it. Perhaps the motive was not solely about money but also about seeking thrill. D. B. Cooper has become a legendary figure as the only person to successfully evade capture after hijacking an American aircraft. Even today, numerous individuals claim to be him or claim to know his true identity, making this mystery an ongoing fascination for many (Warchol 1). Among the potential candidates, Duane Weber appears to be the most plausible as the real D. B. Cooper.
Works Cited Page
Abacha, Sani, and Gary Glimore. “D.B. Cooper.” Great Lives From History: Notorious Lives. Ed. Carl L. Bankston III. Vol. 1. Pasadena, CA: Salem, 2007. 233-34. Print “D. B. Cooper.” Outlaws, Mobsters & Crooks. Gale, 1998.
Gale Biography in Context. Web. 2 Oct. 2012.
Johnson, Kevin, and William M. Welch. “Women Claims Fabled Hijacked ‘D.B. Cooper’ Was Her Uncle.” USATODAY.COM. USA Today, 4 Aug. 2011. Web. 02 Oct. 2012.
.
Warchol, Glen. “On the 40th Anniversary of D. B. Cooper’s Skyjack, the Legend Continues to Fascinate.” The Salt Lake Tribune 25 Nov. 2011: n.pag.
LexisNexis Academic. Web. 2 Oct. 2012.