FBI Makes New Bid To Find 1971 Skyjacker

Wants To ID Man Who Demanded $200,000 And 4 Parachutes, Jumped Off Airliner And Vanished

(AP)  The FBI is making a new stab at identifying mysterious skyjacker Dan Cooper, who bailed out of an airliner in 1971 and vanished, releasing new details that it hopes will jog someone's memory.

The man calling himself Dan Cooper, also known as D.B. Cooper, boarded a Northwest flight in Portland for a flight to Seattle on the night of Nov, 24, 1971, and commandeered the plane, claiming he had dynamite.

In Seattle, he demanded and got $200,000 and four parachutes and demanded to be flown to Mexico. Somewhere over southwestern Washington, he jumped out the plane's tail exit with two of the chutes.

On Monday, the FBI released drawings that it said probably are close to what Cooper looked like, along with a map of areas where Cooper might have landed.

"Who was Cooper? Did he survive the jump? We're providing new information and pictures and asking for your help in solving the case," the FBI said in a statement.

The FBI said that while Cooper was originally thought to have been an experienced jumper, it has since concluded that was wrong and that he almost certainly didn't survive the jump in the dark and rain. He hadn't specified a route for the plane to fly and had no way of knowing where he was when he went out the exit.

"Diving into the wilderness without a plan, without the right equipment, in such terrible conditions, he probably never even got his chute open," Seattle-based agent Larry Carr said.

He also didn't notice that his reserve chute was intended only for training and had been sewn shut.

Several people have claimed to be Cooper over the years but were dismissed on the basis of physical descriptions, parachuting experience and, later, by DNA evidence recovered in 2001 from the cheap tie the skyjacker left on the plane.

In 1980, a boy walking near the Columbia River found $5,800 of the stolen money, in tattered $20 bills.

"Maybe a hydrologist can use the latest technology to trace the $5,800 in ransom money found in 1980 to where Cooper landed upstream," Carr said. "Or maybe someone just remembers that odd uncle."

[slim1h2o]

Hope the FBI don''''t come knocking on MY door...

Posted by kevzgrl at 03:05 PM : Jan 02, 2008

What''s your address,,,,,we have questions,,,maybe you have answers. LOL

[kevzgrl]

Typical of the idiots in charge of the circus - go looking for the really old and decrepit animal that escaped and is more than likely dead, instead of looking for the one who is still alive and taunting the keepers every so often on Al-Jazeera. What a waste of government (read:taxpayers) money to do this.

As a side note, I graduated with a Dan Cooper, who was also thin and white and wore dark glasses sometimes - coincidence???? Nah... Hope the FBI don''t come knocking on MY door...

[frankbowers]

This another of gw bush wild ridews they his FBI wish to uncjover who did this in 1971 while forgetting of the crooks in his cabinet and then pardoning them when they are caught. This is a disgrace who cares about this 1971 feat any more. The insurance lcompanies have paid off and it is past even pass history who is going to pocket the money now.
Just a thought and not interested in neither catching him or finding the money lets us focus on the present needs of this scountry heck that was a small sum look at the 17 billion that came up missing while in gw bush''s hands in Iraq and that was less than 4 years a go (they should look/locate it, it belonged to the you and me''s of this country not an insurance co.) and they can not find it or do not care to look to hard as the president might be in deep problems. This was sad to say but some one need to say it.

The best of good byes Frank Bowers down in Austin, TX

[wheezel3]

They need to settle the case because "Cooper" has so many "admirers" and creepazz followers who need to know their hero is nice and dead.

[slim1h2o]

It does seem pretty useless, to chase this case any farther.
A man in Fla.,, on his death bed,, has already "fessed-up" to the crime. And besides,,,$200.000,,is chump change, nowa days.

Speaking of chumps,, or should I say chimp,,Whats he doing about Bin Laden?

[element51]

What a joke this is. There is no logical reason to waste time and money chasing a ghost. Even if the amount of money was substantial it would be a waste of time. With all the crimes out there that need to be solved, why does the FBI feel compelled to work on this one? For some reason I feel there is something more to this than we are being told. It just doesn''t make any sense.

[connapa]

IF he survived the landing, would he have left 6 grand behind?? I don''t think so. The fact that it was found on a river bank and the fact that the hijacking occurred in NOVEMBER would lead one to conclude one of three logical endings: 1) He died on impact with either the river or on land near the river. 2) He landed in the river and either drowned outright or died from hypothermia. or 3) He landed successfully and managed to make his way down to the river where he met his demise. At this point, they will likely never "find" him. This is probably an exercise in futility- a last grasp which may have the end result of at least identifying who he was. (Likely not anyone with the last name of Cooper.)

[ianlou]

The FBI hates a high profile failure. They leave too large a bump under the carpet.

[hambonehd]

walt1944, grumpas, watcher269; the 3 stooges ride again!

[walt1944-2009]

Because the Great Emperor Bush II needs money to continue his wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, he has ordered the FBI to re-open any old cases where people have stolen large sums of money in the hopes the FBI will solve those cases and get back the money which the Emperor feels is rightfully HIS!

So while the FBI is busy trying to find DB Cooper, and especially the case he made off with, maybe they can find out once and for all what happened to Jimmy Hoffa, what happened at Roswell, and while their agents are stomping through the woods in Washington, maybe they can find a Bigfoot or 2.

Where are Mulder and Scully when you need them!!!!

SIG HEIL, BUSH!!!!

[grumpas]

They need to focus on bringing down the Crime Family who has been running our government for 7 long years now. We won''t have any respect as a nation until they do!

[watcher269-2009]

Maybe the FBI should investigate the illegal activities of this administration and the illegal wire tapping and all the other "Current" activities going on in America then try and close the books on this has been story of someone who stole 200K. This investigation is costing more then that 200K so again, this administration is wasting money on something that means nothing to regular Americans.

Why does the word "conservative" equate to Wastefull spending, Illegal activites, Cheating on your wife with other men, putting America into Extreme Debt and finally - killing American soldiers everytime they get in office? Why? I say Republicans are no longer "Conservative" - They are worse then Liberals.

[lpgideon]

Wow, I like to read the comments as they seem better reading than the original story.

[dsr57]

Really? I mean who really cares about DB Cooper? Isn''t Bin Laden still running around somewhere?

[dakotaclark]

Hmmm...

WHAT IF - "Dan Cooper" had two accomplices, as part of a ground crew?

What if those two were positioned in an area near the jump site, and used the headlights of their vehicle as a beacon - to show the jump zone?

What if they were trying to prove a point about how easy it was to skyjack a plane?

What if they did that to rile up authorities so they would do something about better airplane security?

What if they knew the money would be no good?

What if they left a bundle of $10,000 behind, as sort of a "calling card" in an area frequented by people on a hike or picnic?

What if they burned the rest of the money?

What if they "accomplished their mission" by getting more security procedures in place to stop the skyjackings?

AND, most disturbing of all - what about the people who heard the strange noise of something brushing against their roof in the dark of the night, and made their dogs bark, near Ariel, WA?

There is more to this story than suppositions. There are many unanswered questions...

[grmcgee]

The FBI will never find the truth, because somebody found Cooper on the ground, disposed of the body, and kept all of the cash, excep the $5800 they missed.

[sgtrds]

Bush has forbidden the FBI from investigating him, so they need to have something to do.........

[perrycbs1]

And what are they trying to accomplish here... Perhaps the FBI will all the sudden announce that they know who DB Cooper was - in an attempt to steel others thunder.

There is actually a fairly good guess on that as published in the Oct 22 New Yorker

Kenny Christiansen, NW Purser - who seemed to have some extra $$ beyond normal; and the knowledge and skills necessary to pull it off.

you can find the full story at:

http://nymag.com/news/features/39593/

(and I hope I am not breaking some rule by listing a link to a well researched article on the subject).

[jetranger7]

I have to agree, we have better things to do, like how about putting those resources into finding OBL ! and stopping the major Drug King Pins, who ship their dope into this country and beefing up the border, even better how about finding where all the missing multi-MILLIONS have disappeared to that went to IRAQ, thats way bigger than this little ol'' 200,000 dollars, chump change !! Go after the real criminals in the white house and those corrupt contractors !!!

[nothappyatall]

Amazing the stupidity of wasting time on this case from 36 YEARS ago! Even if "Dan" survived and he likely did otherwise his shute and body would have been found by now- he would probably be 70 or 80 years old!

"jump in the dark and rain."

Even in the dark and rain there is still MOONLIGHT, it''s not dark like a coal mine!

"
Somewhere over southwestern Washington, he jumped out the plane''s tail exit...
He hadn''t specified a route for the plane to fly and had no way of knowing where he was when he went out the exit."

Oh bull, all commercial airlines have specific corridors they use between cities, he specified Mexico knowing the corridor the plane would take down the coast and jumped out where he did because he DID know approximately where he was by judging the time lapse and the relatively known distance the plane would typically travel on that corridor from the takeoff point.