D. B. Cooper
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D._B._Cooper
| D. B. Cooper |
A 1972 FBI composite drawing of D. B. Cooper
|
| Other names | Dan Cooper |
| Occupation | unknown |
| Known for | Hijacking a Boeing 727 on November 24, 1971, and jumping out of the plane |
D. B. Cooper is the name used to refer to a man who
hijacked a
Boeing 727 aircraft on
November 24,
1971, received
US$200,000
[1] in
ransom, and jumped from the plane in flight with a parachute. The name he actually used was
Dan Cooper. Despite hundreds of suspects through the years, no conclusive evidence has surfaced regarding Cooper's true identity or whereabouts, and the bulk of the money was never recovered. The
FBI believes he did not survive the jump.
[2] Several theories offer competing explanations of what happened after his famed jump.
The nature of Cooper's escape and the uncertainty of his fate continue to intrigue people. The Cooper case (code-named "Norjak" by the FBI)
[3] remains an unsolved mystery.
The Cooper case has baffled both government and private investigators for decades, with countless leads turning into dead ends. As recently as March 2008, the FBI thought it might have had one of the biggest breakthroughs in the case when children unearthed a parachute within the bounds of Cooper's probable jump site near the town of
Amboy,
Washington.
[4] Experts later revealed that it did not belong to the hijacker.
Still, despite the case's infamy for its enduring lack of evidence, a few significant clues have arisen. In late 1978, a placard, which contained instructions on how to lower the aft stairs of a 727, believed to be from the rear stairway of the plane from which Cooper jumped, was found just a few flying minutes north of Cooper's projected drop zone. In February 1980, eight-year-old Brian Ingram found $5,880 in decaying $20 bills on the banks of the
Columbia River.
[5]
In October 2007, the FBI announced that it had obtained a partial DNA profile of Cooper from the tie he left on the hijacked plane.
[6] On
December 31,
2007, the FBI revived the unclosed case by publishing never before seen composite sketches and fact sheets online in an attempt to trigger memories that could possibly identify Cooper. In a press release, the FBI reiterated that it does not believe Cooper survived the jump, but expressed an interest in obtaining his identity.
