Dan Cooper, who was also called D.B. Cooper, was a man whose real name is unknown. He hijacked Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305, a Boeing 727 plane traveling from Portland, Oregon, to Seattle, Washington, on November 24, 1971. Cooper told the flight crew he had a bomb and asked for $200,000 in ransom (equal to $1,600,000 in 2025) and four parachutes when the plane landed in Seattle. After letting the passengers leave in Seattle, Cooper told the crew to refuel the plane and begin a second flight to Mexico City, with a stop in Reno, Nevada. After taking off from Seattle, Cooper opened the plane’s back door, used the airstair, and jumped out with a parachute. He disappeared over a remote, heavily wooded area in Southwest Washington. Because of a mistake made by a reporter, the hijacker became known as D.B. Cooper. His true identity and what happened to him are still unknown.
In 1980, a small amount of the ransom money ($5,800) was found near the Columbia River in Vancouver, Washington. This discovery made people interested in the case again but did not provide more information. The rest of the money was never found. For 45 years after the hijacking, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) worked on the case and collected a lot of information, but they did not find any clear answers about Cooper’s identity. In 2016, the FBI stopped its active investigation, but reporters, professional investigators, and others still try to find out who Cooper was and what happened to him.
Cooper’s hijacking, along with similar events that happened the year after (called D.B. Cooper copycat hijackings), led to major changes in airport and airline security. Metal detectors were added at airports, baggage checks became required, and passengers who paid cash for tickets on the day of travel were checked more carefully. The hijacking by D.B. Cooper is the only known unsolved case of air piracy in the history of commercial aviation.
Hijacking
On November 24, 1971 (Thanksgiving Eve), a man approached the ticket counter for Northwest Orient Airlines at Portland International Airport. He paid cash for a one-way ticket on Flight 305, a 30-minute flight to Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac). On his ticket, he wrote his name as "Dan Cooper." Witnesses described Cooper as a white man in his mid-40s with dark hair and brown eyes. He wore a black or brown business suit, a white shirt, a thin black tie, a black raincoat, and brown shoes. Cooper carried a black attaché case and a brown paper bag. He boarded Flight 305, a Boeing 727-100 (FAA registration N467US), and sat in seat 18-E, the last row. He ordered a drink, a bourbon and 7-Up, from a flight attendant.
Flight 305 had 36 passengers and six crew members: Captain William A. Scott, First Officer William "Bill" J. Rataczak, flight engineer Harold E. Anderson, and flight attendants Alice Hancock, Tina Mucklow, and Florence Schaffner. The flight departed Portland on time at 2:50 p.m. PST. Shortly after takeoff, Cooper handed a note to flight attendant Schaffner, who was sitting in the jump seat at the back of the plane. Schaffner assumed the note was a phone number and placed it in her purse. Cooper then whispered, "Miss, you’d better look at that note. I have a bomb."
Schaffner opened the note. It was written in neat, all-capital letters with a felt-tip pen: "Miss—I have a bomb in my briefcase and want you to sit by me." Schaffner returned the note to Cooper, sat next to him, and asked to see the bomb. Cooper opened his attaché case, and Schaffner saw what looked like a bomb: a large cylindrical battery connected by wires to two rows of four red cylinders she thought were dynamite.
Cooper closed the case and told Schaffner his demands. Schaffner wrote down the demands, took them to the cockpit, and informed the crew. Captain Scott told Schaffner to stay in the cockpit and take notes. He then told Northwest flight operations in Minnesota about Cooper’s demands: "[Cooper] requests $200,000 in a knapsack by 5:00 p.m. He wants two front parachutes, two back parachutes. He wants the money in negotiable American currency." By asking for two sets of parachutes, Cooper suggested he planned to take a hostage, which would prevent authorities from giving him fake equipment.
With Schaffner in the cockpit, flight attendant Mucklow sat next to Cooper to communicate between him and the crew. Cooper made more demands through Mucklow: after landing at Sea-Tac, fuel trucks must meet the plane, and all passengers must stay seated while Mucklow brought the money aboard. Cooper said he would release the passengers after receiving the money. The last items brought aboard would be the four parachutes.
Scott informed Sea-Tac air traffic control, who contacted the Seattle Police Department (SPD) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Passengers were told their arrival in Seattle would be delayed due to a "minor mechanical difficulty." Donald Nyrop, president of Northwest at the time, approved the ransom payment and ordered employees to follow Cooper’s demands. For about two hours, Flight 305 circled Puget Sound in a holding pattern to allow the SPD and FBI time to prepare the ransom money and parachutes and organize emergency personnel.
On the plane, Cooper told Mucklow to stay by his side. Mucklow later said Cooper seemed familiar with the local area. He looked out the window and said, "Looks like Tacoma down there," as the plane flew above it. When Mucklow told Cooper the parachutes were coming from McChord Air Force Base, Cooper correctly noted that McChord was only a 20-minute drive from Sea-Tac. She described Cooper as calm, polite, and not cruel.
As the plane circled Seattle, Mucklow talked with Cooper and asked why he chose Northwest Airlines. Cooper laughed and said, "It’s not because I have a grudge against your airline, it’s just because I have a grudge," before explaining the flight suited his needs. Cooper asked where Mucklow was from; she said she was originally from Pennsylvania but lived in Minneapolis. Cooper said Minnesota was "very nice country." Mucklow asked where Cooper was from, but he refused to answer. Cooper offered her a cigarette, and she accepted even though she had quit smoking.
FBI records note Cooper briefly spoke to an unidentified passenger while the plane circled Seattle. Passenger George Labissoniere said he visited the restroom behind Cooper several times. After one visit, he said a man in a cowboy hat blocked his path and questioned Mucklow about the delay. Labissoniere said Cooper was at first amused but then told the man to return to his seat. The man ignored Cooper, but Labissoniere persuaded him to sit down.
Mucklow’s account of the event differed. She said a passenger asked for a sports magazine and looked for one near Cooper. The passenger took a copy of The New Yorker and returned to his seat. When Mucklow came back to sit with Cooper, he said, "If that is a sky marshal, I don’t want any more of that," but Mucklow assured him no sky marshals were on the flight. The man in the cowboy hat was never identified or interviewed by the FBI.
The $200,000 ransom was delivered from Seattle First National Bank in a bag weighing about 19 pounds (8.5 kg). Cooper requested 10,000 unmarked $20 bills, most of which had serial numbers starting with "L," indicating they were issued by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. The FBI photographed the money on microfilm. The SPD obtained the two front parachutes from a local skydiving school and the two back parachutes from a local stunt pilot.
At 5:24 p.m. PST, Captain Scott was told the parachutes had arrived at Sea-Tac and informed Cooper they would land soon. At 5:46 p.m. PST, Flight 305 landed at Sea-Tac. Cooper allowed the plane to park on a partially lit runway away from the terminal. He demanded only one airline representative bring the parachutes and money to the plane, and the only entrance
Investigation
FBI agents found 66 hidden fingerprints on the plane. They also recovered Cooper's black clip-on tie, tie clip, and two of the four parachutes. One parachute had been opened, and three lines that hold the parachute open were cut. Investigators spoke with people who saw the hijacking in Portland, Seattle, and Reno. They made drawings based on witness descriptions. Local and federal officials started asking people who might be suspects. A reporter named James Long wrote the name "Dan Cooper" as "D. B. Cooper" by mistake. Another reporter repeated the error, and the name "D. B. Cooper" became widely used.
Portland police checked a man named D. B. Cooper, who had a small police record, but he was not a suspect. Finding the exact area where Cooper landed was difficult because the plane's speed estimates changed, weather conditions varied, and Cooper alone knew how long he fell before opening his parachute. Pilots in F-106 and T-33 planes did not see anyone jump or see a parachute. A person wearing black clothes jumping at night would be hard to see because of clouds, poor lighting, and limited visibility.
On December 6, 1971, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover approved using a special plane, the SR-71 Blackbird, to retrace Flight 305's path and look for items Cooper carried. The SR-71 made five flights, but poor visibility made the search unsuccessful. In an experiment, FBI agents used a 200-pound sled to test how the plane's tail moved when Cooper jumped. Early estimates placed Cooper's landing near Mount St. Helens, near Lake Merwin in Washington. Search teams looked in Clark and Cowlitz counties, walking through forests and using helicopters. They also searched farms and used boats on Lake Merwin and Yale Lake. Nothing related to Cooper was found.
The FBI used planes and helicopters to search the flight path called Victor 23 from Seattle to Reno. Many broken tree tops and objects like plastic pieces were found, but nothing linked to the hijacking was discovered. In early 1972, FBI agents and soldiers searched Clark and Cowlitz counties for 18 days in March and 18 days in April. A company used a submarine to search Lake Merwin's depths. A skeleton found in Clark County was later identified as a missing girl, not related to Cooper. No evidence from the hijacking was found.
Early computer models estimated Cooper's landing area between the Lewis River dam and Battle Ground, Washington. In 1972, the FBI believed Cooper jumped over La Center, Washington. In 2019, the FBI reported a grocery store burglary near Heisson, Washington, which was within the calculated drop zone. The burglar took survival items like beef jerky and gloves but wore "military-type boots," unlike Cooper, who wore slip-on shoes.
One month after the hijacking, the FBI shared ransom money serial numbers with banks, casinos, and law enforcement worldwide. Northwest Orient Airlines offered a reward of 15% of the recovered money, up to $25,000. In 1972, the U.S. Attorney General shared the serial numbers with the public. Two men used fake $20 bills with Cooper's serial numbers to trick a reporter.
In 1973, The Oregon Journal and The Post-Intelligencer offered rewards for finding ransom bills. These offers remained active until 1974, but no real bills were found. In 1975, Northwest Orient Airlines' insurance company paid $180,000 for the missing ransom money.
Flight data showed the first landing zone estimate was incorrect. A pilot named Scott, who flew the plane manually, found the flight path was farther east than reported. Another pilot, Tom Bohan, found the FBI used the wrong wind direction in its calculations. Based on Bohan's data, the FBI estimated Cooper's landing zone was over the Washougal River. In 1986, an FBI agent said he would search the Washougal area if looking for Cooper. Despite repeated searches, no evidence was found. The FBI believes any remaining clues were destroyed in Mount St. Helens' 1980 eruption.
On July 8, 2016, the FBI said active investigation of the Cooper case was paused because resources were needed for more urgent issues. Local offices would still accept information about the case.
Physical evidence
During their investigation of the aircraft, FBI agents discovered four key pieces of evidence directly connected to D.B. Cooper: a black clip-on tie, a gold tie clip with a mother-of-pearl center, a single hair from Cooper’s headrest, and eight cigarette butts from the armrest ashtray.
The black clip-on tie was found in seat 18-E, where Cooper had been seated. The tie clip attached to it was made of gold with a circular mother-of-pearl center. The FBI learned the tie was sold only at JCPenney stores but was no longer available after 1968. By 2007, the FBI created a partial DNA profile from samples on the tie, but they could not confirm the DNA matched Cooper. FBI agent Fred Gutt explained, “The tie had two small DNA samples and one large sample, but it’s hard to draw clear conclusions from these.” The FBI also shared new evidence, including Cooper’s airline ticket, sketches, and a request for help identifying him.
In 2009, a group called the Cooper Research Team (CRT) used GPS, satellite images, and other tools to study the case. The team included scientists, a paleontologist, and a metallurgist. They examined hundreds of tiny particles on Cooper’s tie, such as Lycopodium spores, titanium, and other metals. These materials suggested Cooper might have worked at Boeing, a chemical plant, or a metal factory. The most important finding was unalloyed titanium, which was rare in the 1970s and used mainly in aircraft or chemical manufacturing.
FBI agents found two hair samples in Cooper’s seat: one strand of limb hair and one strand of brown head hair. The limb hair was not useful for identification, but the head hair was preserved for future testing. In 2002, the FBI lost the hair sample while trying to build a DNA profile.
In seat 18-E’s ashtray, FBI agents found eight Raleigh cigarette butts. They sent the butts to the FBI lab, but no fingerprints were found, and the butts were returned to Las Vegas. In 1998, the FBI tried to extract DNA from the butts but discovered they had been destroyed while in the Las Vegas office’s custody.
On February 10, 1980, an 8-year-old boy named Brian Ingram found three bundles of money near Tina Bar on the Columbia River. The money, totaling about $5,800, was wrapped in rubber bands and had disintegrated from being exposed to the elements. FBI experts confirmed the money was part of the ransom Cooper had taken.
Scientists debated where the money came from. Some believed it floated into the river, while others thought it was buried. Evidence suggested the money arrived after 1974, when the Army Corps of Engineers dredged the river. In 1986, Brian Ingram and Northwest Orient Airlines’s insurer split the recovered money, with the FBI keeping 14 bills as evidence. In 2008, Ingram sold 15 of his bills for about $37,000. Later analysis of diatoms on the bills showed they had entered the river months after the hijacking in November 1971.
During the hijacking, Cooper received two main parachutes and two reserve parachutes. The main parachutes were packed by a pilot named Norman Hayden, and the reserve parachutes came from a skydiving school. A parachute rigger named Earl Cossey said the main parachutes were like military ones—they opened automatically and could not be steered. After the plane landed in Reno, FBI agents found one used reserve parachute and one unused main parachute. The reserve parachute had been opened, and three of its lines were cut, but the main parachute remained intact.
Theories, hypotheses and conjecture
During the 45 years the FBI investigated the case, they sometimes shared some of their ideas and possible conclusions based on witness stories and limited physical evidence.
In the first year of the investigation, the FBI used descriptions from passengers and flight crew to create a drawing of the hijacker. The first drawing, called Composite A, was made a few days after the hijacking and shared on November 28, 1971. Witnesses joked that Composite A looked like the actor Bing Crosby because it did not closely resemble the hijacker. The sketch showed a young man with a narrow face and did not capture the hijacker’s expression, which witnesses described as uninterested and wanting to finish quickly. Flight attendant Florence Schaffner told the FBI that Composite A was not a good likeness of the hijacker.
After many witnesses said Composite A was not accurate, FBI artists made a second sketch called Composite B. Completed in late 1972, Composite B aimed to better show the hijacker’s age, skin color, and face shape. Witnesses said Composite B was more accurate, but they thought the sketch looked too angry or mean. One flight attendant said the sketch resembled a "hoodlum" and remembered the hijacker as "more refined." Witnesses also said Composite B showed a man older than the hijacker with lighter skin.
Using feedback about Composite B, FBI artists improved the sketch. On January 2, 1973, the FBI released the revised Composite B, their third sketch of the hijacker. A flight attendant said the revised sketch was "a very close resemblance" to the hijacker. Another flight attendant said the hijacker would be easily recognized from this sketch. In April 1973, the FBI concluded that the revised Composite B was the best likeness they could create and considered it the official sketch of the hijacker.
Flight attendants Florence Schaffner and Mucklow, who spent the most time with the hijacker, gave nearly identical descriptions: a man in his mid-40s, about 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m) to 6 feet 0 inches (1.83 m) tall and 170 to 180 pounds (77 to 82 kg), with olive-toned skin, brown eyes, short combed-back black hair, and no noticeable accent. University of Oregon student Bill Mitchell, who sat across from the hijacker during the flight, gave the FBI several interviews and provided detailed descriptions that became part of Composite B.
Mitchell’s descriptions matched those of the flight attendants, except he said the hijacker was 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m) to 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m) tall. Since Mitchell was 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) tall, he said he was "way bigger" than the hijacker and described him as "slight." Robert Gregory, another passenger who gave the FBI a full description, also said the hijacker was 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m) tall. Gregory believed the hijacker was of Mexican American or Native American descent.
In May 1973, the FBI shared an eight-page suspect profile. The profile suggested the hijacker was a military-trained parachutist, not a sports skydiver. Cooper’s knowledge of military parachutes and his age made him unlikely to be a sports skydiver, as most in that community were younger. Witnesses described Cooper as athletic, so the FBI thought he likely exercised regularly.
FBI profilers believed the hijacker was a U.S. Air Force veteran familiar with Seattle and its surroundings. Cooper correctly identified Tacoma as the jet circled Puget Sound and mentioned McChord Air Force Base’s location near Sea-Tac, details most civilians would not know. Cooper’s behavior, such as his vocabulary, planning, and use of aviation terms, led the FBI to think he was not a common criminal. He was intelligent, not impulsive, and a careful planner who could adapt to situations. Profilers also thought he worked alone and did not need help.
The FBI believed Cooper’s financial situation was desperate. Most people who steal large sums of money do so because they urgently need the money, as the risk is high. The FBI considered but dismissed the idea that Cooper was a "thrill seeker" who wanted to prove something.
Because Cooper spilled the only drink he was served and never asked for more, the FBI thought he was not a heavy drinker or alcoholic. An alcoholic would likely have been unable to refuse more drinks during the stressful hijacking. By counting the number of cigarettes Cooper smoked, the FBI estimated he smoked about one pack a day.
Some believed Cooper’s alias came from the adventure hero Dan Cooper, a fictional Royal Canadian Air Force test pilot in a popular French-language comic book. Since the comics were not translated into English or brought to the U.S., some thought the hijacker saw them during a European tour and spoke fluent French. The fact that the comics were popular in Quebec led to speculation that the hijacker might have been French Canadian, as many Quebec natives speak English without an accent. This theory fits with Cooper’s unusual phrase "negotiable American currency," which suggests he had a non-U.S. background.
Based on evidence and Cooper’s tactics, the FBI believed he planned the hijacking carefully, using detailed knowledge of aviation, local geography, and the Boeing 727’s features. Cooper chose a seat in the last row of the rear cabin for three reasons: to watch events in front of him, to avoid being approached from behind, and to stay unnoticed by others. To prevent being given sabotaged equipment, he demanded four parachutes, making it seem he might force hostages to jump with him. Cooper’s choice of a bomb instead of other weapons used by hijackers stopped any attempts to attack him from multiple directions.
Cooper was careful to avoid leaving evidence. Before jumping, he asked Mucklow to return any notes written by him or on his behalf. Mucklow said she used the last match in his matchbook to light his cigarette and tried to throw the matchbook away, but he asked her to return it. Although Cooper tried to retrieve evidence, he left his clip-on tie in his seat. Cooper was familiar with
Suspects
Between 1971 and 2016, the FBI reviewed more than 1,000 individuals who were considered serious suspects in the case, including some who sought attention and others who confessed to crimes near the end of their lives.
Theodore Burdette Braden Jr. (1928–2007) was a U.S. Special Forces soldier during the Vietnam War, a skilled skydiver, and a person found guilty of a crime. Many people in the Special Forces community believed he was the hijacker, both when the hijacking happened and in later years. Braden was born in Ohio and joined the military in 1944 at age 16, serving with the 101st Airborne during World War II. He became one of the military’s top parachutists, competing in international skydiving events and making 911 jumps, according to his records. In the 1960s, he led teams in the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam – Studies and Observations Group (MACVSOG), a secret unit of Green Berets that conducted special operations in Vietnam. He also taught skydiving techniques to members of Project DELTA. Braden spent 23 months in Vietnam, working on classified missions in North and South Vietnam, as well as in Laos and Cambodia.
In December 1966, Braden left his unit in Vietnam and traveled to the Congo to work as a mercenary. He was arrested by CIA agents and returned to the U.S. for a military trial. Even though deserting during war was a serious crime, Braden received an honorable discharge and was not allowed to rejoin the military in exchange for keeping secret information about the MACVSOG program. He was featured in the October 1967 issue of Ramparts magazine, where a journalist described him as someone who often took unnecessary risks and ignored safety rules during skydiving. The journalist also said Braden was involved in secret deals to earn money during his time in Vietnam.
Little is known about Braden’s life after he left the military in 1967. At the time of the hijacking, he was a truck driver for Consolidated Freightways, based in Vancouver, Washington, near a location where the hijacker was believed to have landed. In the early 1970s, the FBI investigated him for allegedly stealing $250,000 in a trucking scam but never charged him. In 1980, he was accused of driving a truck full of stolen goods from Arizona to Massachusetts, though it is unclear if he was convicted. He was later arrested in Pennsylvania for driving a stolen car with fake license plates and without a driver’s license. He was sent to federal prison in the late 1980s, though the exact reason for his imprisonment is unknown.
Despite his skills as a soldier, Braden was not well-liked personally and was described by a family member as having high intelligence combined with a tendency toward criminal behavior. His military experience in Vietnam may have given him knowledge about jumping from a Boeing 727, which was relevant to the hijacking. His military records list him as 5 feet 8 inches tall, which is slightly shorter than the 5 feet 10 inches described by two flight attendants. However, his height in the military was measured without shoes, so he may have appeared taller when wearing them. Braden had a dark complexion from years of outdoor work, short dark hair, an athletic build, and was 43 years old during the hijacking, which matches descriptions of the hijacker.
In 2003, a man named Lyle Christiansen, from Minnesota, watched a documentary about the hijacking and believed his late brother, Kenneth (1926–1994), was the hijacker. After failing to convince the FBI and others, Christiansen contacted a private investigator named Skipp Porteous. In 2010, Porteous published a book suggesting Kenneth Christiansen was the hijacker. A television show later discussed evidence linking Kenneth to the case.
Kenneth Christiansen joined the U.S. Army in 1944 and was trained as a paratrooper. He was deployed in 1945, but by then, World War II had ended. He made training jumps while stationed in Japan in the late 1940s. After leaving the military, he worked for Northwest Orient Airlines starting in 1954, first as a laborer and later as a flight attendant and purser based in Seattle.
Kenneth was 45 years old during the hijacking, but he was shorter (5 feet 8 inches) and thinner (150 pounds) than descriptions of the hijacker. He smoked and liked bourbon, which matched the hijacker’s habits. A flight attendant said photos of Kenneth resembled the hijacker more than other suspects, but she could not confirm his identity. The FBI still does not consider Kenneth a strong suspect due to the lack of direct evidence and the poor match to eyewitness descriptions.
Bryant "Jack" Coffelt (1917–1975) was a fraudster, former criminal, and claimed to be a government informant who worked for Abraham Lincoln’s last known descendant. In 1972, Coffelt said he was the hijacker and tried to sell his story to a Hollywood company through a former prison friend. He claimed he landed near Mount Hood, about 50 miles from the suspected landing site, and injured himself, losing the ransom money. Photos of Coffelt somewhat resemble the hijacker’s composite drawing, though he was older than the hijacker in 1971. He was reportedly in Portland on the day of the hijacking and had leg injuries that could have come from a skydiving accident. The FBI reviewed his story and found it inconsistent with known facts, concluding it was false. His friend continued spreading the story after Coffelt died in 1975, but media outlets like 60 Minutes dismissed it.
Lynn Doyle "L. D." Cooper (1931–1999), a leatherworker and Korean War veteran, was suggested as a suspect in 2011 by his niece, Marla Cooper. At age 8, Marla remembered her uncle and another relative talking about a "very mischievous
Similar hijackings
Cooper was one of the first people to try hijacking an airplane for personal gain. Eleven days before Cooper's hijacking, a Canadian named Paul Joseph Cini hijacked an Air Canada DC-8 over Montana. However, the crew stopped him when he put down his shotgun to put on a parachute. After Cooper's hijacking, 15 similar hijackings (which included demanding money and parachutes) were attempted in 1972. These attempts were all unsuccessful. Out of 31 total hijackings that year, 19 followed Cooper's method of demanding money. Five of those who jumped with parachutes landed safely but were later captured.
In 1973, airports started checking all luggage, which greatly reduced the number of hijackings. There were no other major hijackings like Cooper's until July 11, 1980, when Glenn K. Tripp took control of Northwest Orient Flight 608 at Seattle-Tacoma Airport. He demanded $600,000 (or $100,000 by another account), two parachutes, and the killing of his boss. A flight attendant quickly added Valium to Tripp's drink. After a 10-hour standoff, during which Tripp reduced his demands to three cheeseburgers and a vehicle to escape, he was captured. Tripp tried to hijack the same flight again on January 21, 1983, this time asking to be flown to Afghanistan. When the plane landed in Portland, FBI agents shot and killed him.
Aftermath
Even though the federal Sky Marshal program started the year before, 31 hijackings happened in U.S. airspace in 1972. Of these, 19 were meant to demand money from airlines. In 15 of those cases, hijackers also asked for parachutes. In early 1973, the FAA required airlines to check all passengers and their luggage. Many lawsuits claimed these checks violated the right to be free from unfair searches, but federal courts said the checks were allowed if done equally and only for weapons and explosives. Only two hijackings were attempted in 1973, both by people with mental health issues. One hijacker, Samuel Byck, wanted to crash an airplane into the White House to harm President Nixon.
Because of many copycat hijackings in 1972, the FAA ordered all Boeing 727 planes to have a special device called the "Cooper vane" on the outside. This device, made of a flat aluminum blade on a pivot, keeps the rear airstair from opening during flight. It stays in place when the plane is still and moves automatically to block the door when the plane is moving fast. The vane works on its own and cannot be controlled from inside the plane. Because of the hijacking, all cockpit doors were required to have peepholes so pilots could see passengers without opening the door.
In 1978, the hijacked 727-100 plane was sold to Piedmont Airlines, re-registered as N838N, and used for domestic flights. In 1984, it was bought by Key Airlines, re-registered as N29KA, and used by the Air Force to transport workers between Nellis Air Force Base and the Tonopah Test Range during the F-117 Nighthawk program. In 1996, the plane was taken apart for parts in a Memphis aircraft storage area.
The flight crew thanked Mucklow for her actions. She continued working for the airline for several years. She lived a private life and has given only a few interviews since 2021.
In popular culture
Himmelsbach called Cooper a "rotten sleazy crook," but his unusual crime inspired many people to admire him. This admiration led to songs, movies, and books about him. Stores sold T-shirts with the words "D. B. Cooper, Where Are You?" Businesses in the Pacific Northwest, like restaurants and bowling alleys, often have special events and sell souvenirs related to Cooper. Every November since 1974, except in 2015, the Ariel General Store and Tavern has held a celebration called "Cooper Day."
An event called CooperCon takes place every year in late November in Seattle, Washington. It was started in 2018 by Cooper researcher Eric Ulis. The event brings together people who study Cooper and those who are interested in him. It was first held in Vancouver, Washington, but moved to Seattle in 2023. CooperCon replaced the annual D. B. Cooper Days, which ended when the owner of the Ariel Store Pub died and the pub closed.