1/2/2008
FBI dusts off 36-year-old Cooper unsolved skyjacking
It’s an interesting story, and the FBI still wants to solve it - as I understand this is the only unsolved skyjacking in history.
The man calling himself Dan Cooper, also known as D.B. Cooper, boarded a jet in Portland for Seattle the night of Nov, 24, 1971 and commandeered it, claiming he had dynamite.
In Seattle he demanded and got $200,000 and four parachutes and demanded to be flown to Mexico. Shortly before reaching the Oregon border, it is believed, he jumped with two of the chutes, one of which was a trainer and sewn shut.
Agents say they are almost certain he didn’t survive.
“Diving into the wilderness without a plan, without the right equipment, in such terrible conditions, he probably never even got his chute open,” Seattle-based agent Larry Carr said.
The FBI’s page on him is here along with pictures of the rotting money that was found by a kid, which matches some of the serial numbers of the money Cooper obtained during the heist. A map, a pink training parachute and a bag Cooper left behind are also pictured there.
The FBI doesn’t like to lose. Some of what they’ve said indicates they are like keystone cops, for example, the part about this fellow not being an experienced jumper and about the conditions not being conducive to a successful jump. Either they’re plain stupid or lying, because adverse weather conditions are what paratroopers are trained to jump in. The rainy conditions would have meant a lower descent, as the atmosphere is thicker.
Plus, the altitude of the plane was carefully planned at 10,000 feet. A higher altitude would have caused disaster for the pilot and crew.
This guy has developed a following over the years, of people who are glad that he’s outwitted the FBI…and I can hardly blame them, considering the discovery of characters like Earl Edwin Pitts and Robert Hansen in their midst.
