Wednesday marked the 50th anniversary of the only unsolved case of air piracy in commercial airline history 鈥� the D.B Cooper hijacking. Five decades have passed and very few answers are known about the man behind the crime. Ask around Portland and Southwest Washington, and you鈥檙e bound to find people who know Cooper鈥檚 name, and maybe have their own theories about him.
The crime that happened half a century ago
On Nov. 24, 1971 鈥� which was also the day before Thanksgiving that year 鈥� a passenger whose ticket was booked under the name Dan Cooper boarded a Northwest Orient Airlines flight at Portland International Airport. The flight was scheduled to be a quick stint north to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The plan changed shortly after takeoff.
After ordering a drink, Cooper revealed to a flight attendant that he had a bomb and demanded $200,000 and parachutes once the plane reached Sea-Tac.
His demands were met, and Cooper鈥檚 fellow passengers safely disembarked. He then instructed some of the crew to fly him to Mexico City with a fuel stop in Reno, Nevada. However, when the plane was flying over Southwest Washington, Cooper parachuted out of the plane with the ransom money and vanished.
He was never seen or heard from again. Cooper鈥檚 identity has also never been confirmed.
In 1980, there was a break in the case 鈥� kind of. Along the Columbia River in Vancouver, a boy discovered $5,800 of damaged twenties. Investigators confirmed the bills were from the Cooper ransom. But the lead didn鈥檛 go any further. No more of the cash from the hijacking has ever been found.
The $200,000 ransom Cooper received would be equivalent to $1,352,513.45 today, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
A local legend
Since his disappearance, Cooper has fascinated Pacific Northwest residents and others.
John F. Barber, now a faculty member at Washington State University Vancouver, remembers coverage of the hijacking when it happened. He watched television news reports in 1971, and recalls the crime seemed 鈥渟o completely improbable, impossible.鈥�
When asked why interest remains around the case, Barber told OPB that 鈥渕ystery attracts attention and speculation.鈥�
Barber is also the creator of , a media project that shares sound-based storytelling. Re-Imagined Radio produced , using the mystery as source material.
The local legend of Cooper meant more visitors to the Clark County Historical Museum on Saturday.
Katie Bush, the museum鈥檚 public historian, told OPB that Saturdays are usually less busy days but with the hijacking anniversary, 鈥減eople are asking about him a lot.鈥�
The public鈥檚 interest in the case doesn鈥檛 surprise Bush, since so little is known about the history-making criminal. 鈥淭he mythos of D.B. Cooper is really what keeps it alive.鈥�
鈥淎s a Northwest historian, I think the Northwest is incredibly interesting, and there鈥檚 so much here to study, but he kind of adds a bit more interest to it. We鈥檙e more than coffee, plaid and Portlandia, there鈥檚 a lot more going on here than people expect,鈥� Bush said. 鈥淢aybe we don鈥檛 have Al Capone like Chicago does, but we do have D.B. Cooper so that鈥檚 pretty cool.鈥�
鈥淭he other big names in crime that happened around here, and not to try and valorize or anything, but like the Green River Killer, Ted Bundy 鈥� there was some closure that happened to that, and this is still a complete mystery.鈥�
Plus, Bush said, people may have another motivation to learn about the case. 鈥淓veryone鈥檚 hoping that they can find some of his money out there,鈥� she explained, with a laugh. 鈥淢aybe someday it will come floating down the Columbia and we鈥檒l find it. We all want to find a bag of money on the side of the road.鈥�
Will we ever know the answers?
Five years ago, the FBI into Cooper. The bureau announced in July 2016 that it was ending 鈥渙ne of the longest and most exhaustive investigations in [its] history.鈥�
Civilians have attempted to keep alive. Eric Ulis, who has dedicated over a decade of his life to investigating the Cooper case, near the 1980 cash discovery location to search for evidence.
Ulis told OPB that he went back to the site with volunteers for additional digging on Nov. 18, and they plan to go again in January. He explained that due to the rocky terrain, digging can only be done manually.
Ulis first heard about Cooper when he was a child interested in aviation in the late 1970s. As an adult, he grew more curious about the case and then began investigating as a 鈥済uilty pleasure.鈥� In more recent years, he saw reports of new suspects and new theories, but 鈥渢hey seemed too conspiratorial to me,鈥� Ulis said. 鈥淚 want to know who the real guy is, the real story. That鈥檚 what precipitated my interest.鈥�
As for Cooper鈥檚 fate, Ulis believes the hijacker got away safely and is potentially still alive. 鈥淚 have absolutely no doubt in my mind that he survived.鈥�
Ulis founded in 2018. This year鈥檚 convention was held over the weekend at the Kiggins Theatre in Vancouver. Ulis said it drew about 220 people, the most since the annual event began.
The highlight of CooperCon 2021 for Ulis was speaking with Bill Mitchell, who sat near Cooper on the flight in 1971. The plane was in the air for three hours, but none of the passengers knew a hijacking had happened until they saw law enforcement gathered on the ground.
Ulis is optimistic that modern science and technology will help solve Cooper鈥檚 identity. He believes Cooper鈥檚 briefcase and parachute will be located. He also has hopes, in the coming months, to get access to and analyze a key piece of evidence that was recovered: Cooper鈥檚 clip-on tie.
鈥淚 have a feeling that in the next 10 years, we have a better chance than not in solving this case.鈥�
A closed investigation, but something in the works
The crime achieved by Cooper sounds like something out of a movie. Soon, the hijacking will get Hollywood treatment.
鈥淣od If You Understand鈥� has been greenlit. The thriller, directed by Amber Sealey, will tell the story of flight attendant Tina Mucklow, who was on the plane with Cooper, .
鈥淭his hijacking is an important piece of U.S. history, much obsessed over, and yet there are huge parts of the story that have never been shown before. The camera has never been pointed in the right direction, until now,鈥� Sealey told Deadline.
The movie will focus on Mucklow and her fateful encounter with Cooper. Mucklow back in January about her experience and how it shaped her life.
While the loose ends remain, Cooper is a fixture in Pacific Northwest lore. His hijacking and disappearance have inspired a , a and promotions by the . In the community of Ariel in Southwest Washington, is held in November to commemorate Cooper.
His name and legend have also been featured in national entertainment. He was the inspiration for the name Dale Bartholomew Cooper, played by Kyle MacLachlan, in 鈥淭win Peaks.鈥� The 鈥淟oki鈥� television series on Disney+ included a scene that showed Loki was actually Cooper in its premiere episode.
Bush鈥檚 suspicion about treasure seekers who would search for the uncovered Cooper cash was the plot of the 2004 fictional film 鈥淲ithout a Paddle.鈥�
In the 50 years since his jump into history, Cooper has never been found 鈥� but as a legend, a mystery and a pop culture artifact, he has left a lasting legacy in the Pacific Northwest and the world.
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