Mystery of DB Cooper: Man Who Vanished in the Sky

On November 24, 1971, a North West Orient Airlines flight took off from Portland, USA, bound for Seattle. There were only 36 passengers and 6 crew members on this short flight. Among them was a man who later became known as D.B. Cooper. He appeared like an ordinary businessman, wearing a suit and tie, and was sitting in seat 18E.

Shortly after takeoff, he handed a note to an air hostess named Florence Schaffner, who initially thought it was a flirty message. Cooper urged her to read it, revealing that he had a bomb in his briefcase. To prove it, he opened his suitcase, showing red cylinders and a battery. Cooper then made his demands: $200,000 in cash, four parachutes, and a fuel truck ready when they landed.

The flight crew informed the pilots discreetly, and the airline president decided to comply with Cooper’s demands to avoid publicity. The flight circled in the air for hours as the money was gathered. The passengers were unaware of the hijack, believing there were technical difficulties.

The plane finally landed in Seattle at 5:46 pm, where Cooper received the money and parachutes. He released the passengers and some crew, keeping only one flight attendant, Tina McClough, onboard. The plane was refueled, and Cooper directed the pilots to fly toward Mexico City, with specific instructions on altitude and speed.

After takeoff, Cooper sent Tina into the cockpit and prepared to jump from the plane. A warning light indicated the aft stairs had been deployed. At 8:13 pm, the pilots noticed the plane’s tail suddenly lifted, indicating Cooper had jumped with the parachutes and money. The plane continued to Reno, where police found no trace of Cooper, except for a tie, some cigarette butts, and 66 unidentified fingerprints.

The FBI launched an investigation, but despite their efforts, Cooper was never found. The case remained unsolved for 45 years until it was closed in 2016. Over the years, people speculated whether Cooper survived the jump, given the harsh conditions and difficult terrain he would have landed in.

In 1980, an 8-year-old boy found some of the ransom money along the Columbia River. Although the serial numbers matched, only a small amount of the $200,000 was recovered, and Cooper’s fate remains a mystery to this day.

This case is one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in aviation history. D.B. Cooper’s identity, whether he survived, and what happened to the rest of the money are questions that remain unanswered.

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