D.B. COOPER

D.B. COOPER | Aby

All episodes

20 Episodes

The Man Who Paid in Cash
1 min. 13 sec.
On November 24, 1971, a quiet man buys a one-way ticket to Seattle using the name Dan Cooper. Dressed like an ordinary businessman, he boards Flight 305 with a briefcase and paper bag. Nothing about him appears unusual—until the plane is in the air.
The Man Who Paid in Cash
The Note
1 min. 7 sec.
Flight attendant Florence Schaffner receives a folded note from the passenger in seat 18-C. When she ignores it, he quietly warns her that he is carrying a bomb. Inside his briefcase, she sees wires, red cylinders, a battery, and a switch.
The Note
The Demands
1 min. 40 sec.
Cooper demands $200,000, four parachutes, a fuel truck, and no police interference. He promises to release the passengers once his instructions are followed. The FBI launches a massive operation while Flight 305 continues circling in the air.
The Demands
The Money
1 min. 17 sec.
The FBI gathers 10,000 twenty-dollar bills and records every serial number. The ransom weighs approximately 21 pounds and is delivered to the aircraft. The money will later become one of the case’s most important pieces of evidence.
The Money
The Four Parachutes
1 min. 2 sec.
Authorities obtain four parachutes from a local skydiving school. Investigators fear Cooper may intend to force hostages to jump with him. Unknown to everyone, one of the reserve parachutes is only a non-functional training rig.
The Four Parachutes
The Second Takeoff
1 min. 3 sec.
Flight 305 lands in Seattle, where Cooper releases the passengers in exchange for the ransom. He keeps the cockpit crew and one flight attendant aboard. The plane takes off again under strange instructions designed for an airborne escape.
The Second Takeoff
The Jump
49 sec.
Cooper orders the crew to remain in the cockpit as he lowers the aircraft’s rear stairs. At 8:13 p.m., the pilots feel a sudden shift in the plane’s balance. Somewhere over Washington, Cooper jumps into the darkness and disappears.
The Jump
The Storm
54 sec.
Cooper enters freezing rain, violent winds, and almost zero visibility. He is wearing only a business suit, dress shoes, and a raincoat. Investigators question whether anyone could have survived such a dangerous jump.
The Storm
NORJAK
1 min. 5 sec.
The FBI names the investigation NORJAK, short for Northwest Hijacking. Hundreds of agents begin searching forests, rivers, and mountains across the suspected drop zone. Despite thousands of tips, no confirmed trace of Cooper is found.
NORJAK
Dan to D.B.
1 min. 2 sec.
The hijacker introduced himself as Dan Cooper—not D.B. Cooper. A reporting mistake spreads the wrong name across newspapers throughout the country. The accidental identity becomes one of the most famous names in criminal history.
Dan to D.B.
The Sketches
1 min. 2 sec.
Witnesses help the FBI create composite drawings of the mysterious passenger. The images show a middle-aged man with dark hair, brown eyes, and a business suit. They remain the only known visual representation of Cooper’s face.
The Sketches
Richard McCoy
1 min. 6 sec.
Five months later, Richard McCoy carries out a remarkably similar hijacking. He escapes by parachuting from another Boeing 727 but is captured within 48 hours. The FBI investigates him as Cooper, but his alibi appears to rule him out.
Richard McCoy
The Aft Stairs
1 min. 5 sec.
Cooper exploits a unique feature of the Boeing 727: rear stairs that can open in flight. After several copycat crimes, airlines install a device known as the Cooper vane. The vulnerability that made his escape possible is permanently eliminated.
The Aft Stairs
The Military Theory
1 min. 11 sec.
Investigators initially believe Cooper must have received military parachute training. His aviation knowledge and understanding of the Boeing 727 suggest specialized experience. Later experts argue his choices may actually reveal limited or outdated parachuting skills.
The Military Theory
The Boy at Tena Bar
1 min. 14 sec.
In 1980, an eight-year-old boy discovers bundles of damaged cash buried near the Columbia River. The serial numbers match the ransom money given to Cooper nine years earlier. It becomes the only confirmed physical evidence ever recovered from the escape.
The Boy at Tena Bar
What the Money Told Them
1 min. 7 sec.
FBI scientists examine the buried bills, rubber bands, and surrounding sediment. The evidence suggests the money may have reached the location years after the hijacking. The discovery creates new theories but fails to explain how the cash arrived there.
What the Money Told Them
The Suspects
1 min. 2 sec.
More than 1,000 people are investigated as possible identities of D.B. Cooper. Veterans, pilots, airline employees, criminals, and family members all become suspects. Every theory contains intriguing clues, but none provides definitive proof.
The Suspects
The CIA Angle
1 min. 21 sec.
The alias Dan Cooper matches the name of a European comic-book pilot. Because the comics were largely unknown in America, some believe the reference reveals Cooper’s background. The connection leads investigators toward military and intelligence communities.
The CIA Angle
The FBI Closes the Case
1 min. 1 sec.
In 2016, the FBI suspends its active investigation after nearly 45 years. Officials announce that all viable leads have been exhausted without identifying the hijacker. The case can still be reopened if significant new evidence emerges.
The FBI Closes the Case
The Open File
1 min. 7 sec.
Private researchers continue examining Cooper’s tie, the ransom money, and surviving evidence. Advanced testing produces new clues but no agreement about his identity or fate. The missing man, parachute, body, and remaining ransom ensure the mystery remains unsolved.
The Open File

The Man Who Paid in Cash

The Note

The Demands

The Money

The Four Parachutes

The Second Takeoff

The Jump

The Storm

NORJAK

Dan to D.B.

The Sketches

Richard McCoy

The Aft Stairs

The Military Theory

The Boy at Tena Bar

What the Money Told Them

The Suspects

The CIA Angle

The FBI Closes the Case

The Open File