NOVEMBER 24TH
1971
AT APPROXIMATELY FOUR O'CLOCK IN THE AFTERNOON, A MAN WALKS INTO PORTLAND INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT CARRYING NOTHING BUT A BRIEFCASE. ASKING FOR A ONE WAY TICKET TO SEATTLE, HE GIVES THE CLERK HIS NAME...
AT APPROXIMATELY FOUR O'CLOCK IN THE AFTERNOON, A MAN WALKS INTO PORTLAND INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT CARRYING NOTHING BUT A BRIEFCASE. ASKING FOR A ONE WAY TICKET TO SEATTLE, HE GIVES THE CLERK HIS NAME...
This is the story of the man who would later be referred to as D. B. Cooper, one of America's most infamous skyjackers. The stunt he is about to pull will place him in the criminal hall of fame for decades to come. It is a heist the likes of which have never been seen before or since, and one of the most puzzling cold cases of all time.
The following is a summarization of true events.
Cooper boards the plane, a Northwest Airlines Boeing 727, and takes a seat all the way at the back near one of the flight attendants. He lights up a cigarette (this was the seventies) and relaxes with his briefcase on his lap. For several hours the flight is uneventful.
Until, a few minutes before reaching their destination, Cooper hands the flight attendant a handwritten note.
He opens his briefcase which appears to contain several sticks of dynamite and some wires. When the information is communicated to the pilots, they connect him to local authorities who as about his demands.
Cooper wanted money. When the flight attendant asked why he had hijacked the plane, he stated “It's not because I have a grudge on your airline, it's just because I have a grudge”. He then threatens to “do the job” unless, upon landing in Seattle, he receives
He also asks for four parachutes...
As a show of good faith, Cooper allows all the passengers to disembark in Seattle. But when refueling causes a delay, he begins to get irritable. The pilot, co-pilot, and four flight attendants are to remain with Cooper, and he demands they take off as soon as possible.
The ransom money and parachutes are brought to the airport by the police and the FBI, and soon the plane is in the air again. Cooper insists they fly to Mexico City, but the pilot informs him there isn't enough fuel. They come to an agreement for a pit stop in Reno. Cooper also dictates that the aircraft fly at the lowest possible airspeed, stay below ten thousand feet, keep the cabin unpressurized, and keep the landing gear deployed.
He also asks that the rear stairs remain lowered for the duration of the flight. After a while, he instructs the flight attendant acting as his liaison to leave him and go to the cockpit with the other hostages. She makes note of the last time she saw Cooper, fidling with the parachutes.
Originally, the FBI had theorized that Cooper asked for four parachutes so that he might take a hostage in the event he had to abandon the aircraft. They never expected him to jump alone. Just over an hour into the flight, Cooper makes his way to the aft stairs
