On November 24, 1971, an individual who identified himself as d b cooper and was dressed in a business suit boarded a Seattle-bound aircraft in Portland. He had with him a suitcase and after the flight was airborne, he indicated to a flight attendant that there was an explosive device in his suitcase. He also demanded $200,000 in cash as ransom money apart from other items.
The authorities met his demands and at Seattle airport, he permitted the 36 other passengers and some crew members to get off the plane but he remained and ordered the pilot to fly the plane slowly to Mexico.
As it was flying, he opened a rear door, jumped out with the cash and literally vanished into thin air.
Investigations to date by FBI
New Zealand Herald reports that the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) was unable to solve the mystery of the missing D B Cooper. They had been pursuing the case for 45 years and had to finally abandon it. There was no trace of his body at the location where he jumped and it is presumed that he managed to survive.
In 1980, bundles of cash turned up near Portland and the serial numbers of the notes corresponded to the serial numbers of the ransom money so the mystery surrounding his disappearance deepened. The FBI had followed every lead that came up and interviewed hundreds of people and ultimately admitted defeat.
What armchair detectives found
Citizen Sleuths descended on the scene in 2007 and claimed that they examined a black tie that D B Cooper had left behind in his seat on the plane. They discovered thousands of particles of "rare earth elements" on the tie. These included pure titanium. At that time, titanium was a rare metal and the investigators believed that D B Cooper must have been associated with professionals who handled titanium and wore ties to work.
Therefore, he could have worked for Boeing.
A second group of investigators claim to have recovered the strap of a decades-old parachute and its location could throw light on where he jumped with the ransom money. This is seen as a possible breakthrough. They have not disclosed the location but it is known that a portion of the money was found in Portland.
Anyway, they have indicated that they plan to pass on the possible evidence to the FBI.
If he is still alive, he would be in his seventies and some film maker might seize the opportunity to convert this story into a blockbuster crime thriller. It would be a gripping story because in 1971 hijacking of flights was uncommon and the story is loaded with ingredients that make for a successful potboiler.
