Db cooper mystery: Should a person jump from a flying plane with a parachute and then do not even get any clue for him for decades? It is not the script of a thriller film, but one of the most shocking and mysterious hijack cases of America, D.B. Cooper case. In 1971, an unknown person hijacked the Northwest Airlines aircraft, then jumped into the sky with a ransom of $ 2 million. After this, he disappeared so that till date the FBI and all the intelligence agencies of the world could not even know his identity. This incident still remains the most popular and unresolved mystery in the world of crime and mystery.
Let us know about this mysterious case!
Who was D.B. Cooper?
On the evening of 24 November 1971, a mysterious person created history by riding in flight 305 of Northwest Orient Airlines of America. The man in this Boeing 727 flight going from Portland (Oregon) to Seattle (Washington), the person under the name ‘Dan Cooper’. In the dress, he looked completely like a simple businessman in black suits, white shirts, tie and black glasses. But as soon as the aircraft flew, it gave a note to the air hostess, which wrote that it had a bomb. Initially, the air hostess felt a joke, but when he opened his bag and showed things like a bomb, there was a stir. The most mysterious hijack story of America started from here, which kept people entangled for the coming decades.
Ransom and plan
D.B. Cooper not only hijacked the aircraft, but the entire plan was made very thoughtfully and in a professional manner. He demanded four parachutes (two main and two reserves) and $ 200,000 cash, which was a large amount at that time equal to about $ 1.4 million (₹ 11-12 crore) in today’s value. The FBI and Airlines gave priority to the safety of the passengers and accepted all its demands. The aircraft landed safely in Seattle, all passengers were released and the money and parachutes were handed over to Cooper. He then kept only four crew members pilot, co-pilot, flight engineer and air hostess Tina Maqlo and ordered the aircraft to fly towards Mexico City. He also laid down certain flight conditions: the aircraft should not be flown at a height of more than 10,000 feet, the speed should not exceed 200 knots (about 370 km/h), the landing gear remains down, the flaps should be at 15 degrees, and the back door i.e. ‘airstare’ should be kept open. It was clear from these technical instructions that Cooper had good knowledge of flight operations.
Invishing leap – missing from the sky
About 30 minutes after flying from Seattle, D.B. Cooper opened the airstare door of the rear of Boeing 727 and jumped with a parachute. This jump was not in a common state, it was dark outside, it was raining torrential, and the downward forest and mountainous area of the south-west Washington was spread. There was no landing site fixed, nor was the weather in its favor. Despite this, Cooper jumped and then disappeared that despite decades of discovery, thousands of hours of FBI investigation and millions of dollars investigation, no clue was found. Neither his body was found, nor parachute, nor his true identity could be revealed till date. It became one of the most mysterious and successful hijacking in the world.
FBI investigation and failures
D.B. The FBI made tireless efforts for nearly 45 years to resolve the Cooper case. During this time hundreds of suspects were questioned, thousands of clues were investigated, and innumerable resources were pierced, but neither could prove the identity of Cooper nor was there any indication of his luck. Finally in July 2016, the FBI officially stopped the investigation of the case. During the investigation, several names came out as prominent suspects. The first name was of Richard Floid McCoy, who had another hijacking like Cooper. But he was caught and later investigation found that he neither matched physically nor the location of that time was in his favor. The second suspect was Kenneth Christianson, who had worked in the Northwest Airlines and also Paratrooper. His brother doubted him as he had suddenly become rich, but he was also removed from the list of suspects due to physical details and lack of evidence. The third name came in front of Duan Weber, who had confessed to his wife before dying that he was D.B. Cooper is. However, the FBI found DNA or any direct evidence against him. Despite all this, till date it remains a mystery that the real D.B. Who was Cooper?
Indications and their secrets
D.B. on 10 February 1980 A new hope in the Cooper case raised when 8 -year -old Brian Ingram received a total amount of $ 5,800 in three packets buried in the sand at a place called Tina Bar, located on the banks of the Columbia River in the state of Washington. These were all twenty dollars of notes, whose serial number matched the ransom amount given to Cooper. This discovery was shocking, because it created the possibility that Cooper was either dead and reached there with money, or he had thrown some part of the amount there. However, it was just speculation, as there was no concrete evidence of his survival or dead. Surprisingly, only this amount has been received so far out of the total $ 200,000. Cooper’s parachute, the rest of the note or any other items never found. Only one of his tie and tie-clip was recovered from inside the aircraft. Even after so many years, it remains a mystery as to where the rest of the money went, what happened to Cooper, and what he really did after the jump.
Cooper’s escape major theories
D.B. After the mysterious leap of Cooper, many theories came out about his luck, three of which have been the most talked about.
• The first theory believes that Cooper was killed soon after jumping. Given the bad weather, dense forest, dark and risky jump, experts believe that he would not have been able to land safely. In 1980, some ransom notes on the banks of the Columbia River strengthened this apprehension, but never found his body or parachute, which deepened the mystery.
• The second theory says that Cooper survived and he changed his identity. Some people believe that he took a normal life or he left the country and went somewhere else. The FBI investigated several suspects in this direction, but the decisive evidence was not found against anyone.
• The third and most controversial theory is that this entire incident was an internal conspiracy of an airline employee or crew. Although no concrete evidence was ever found on this, this theory has also been debated from time to time.
The FBI closed the case, but the mystery is still alive
In July 2016, the FBI after a detailed investigation lasted for nearly 45 years, D.B. Announced to officially shut down the active investigation of the Cooper case. The agency said that no new concrete evidence has been found in this case so far and their resources should be put in other primary cases. However, despite this, this mystery is still alive in the public domain. FBI case files are now available to the general public and D.B. Cooper’s story has been continuously the center of curiosity of people through media, documentaries, books, films and web series. Netflix’s popular documentary ‘DB Cooper: Where are you?’ And special reports of Discovery Channel have brought this mystery to new generations. Due to which this case has become a cultural symbol, a secret that never comes old.
