D.B. Cooper (NORJAK)

Case File: NORJAK (The D.B. Cooper Hijacking)

Above: A short video put together by the FBI regarding the case

Status: Administratively Closed (July 2016)

Date of Incident: November 24, 1971

Location: Northwest United States (Portland to Seattle corridor)

Subject: Unidentified male using the alias “Dan Cooper”

FBI artist rendering of so-called D.B. Cooper, who hijacked Northwest Orient Flight 305 out of Portland (Oregon), demanded and received ransom money upon landing in Seattle, then parachuted into the woods and was never found again. FBI Sketch.

Incident Summary

On the afternoon of Thanksgiving Eve, 1971, a man described as being in his mid-40s purchased a one-way ticket for Northwest Orient Flight 305. Shortly after takeoff, he handed a note to a flight attendant stating he had a bomb and demanded $200,000 in twenty-dollar bills and four parachutes. Upon landing at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, the subject released all 36 passengers in exchange for the ransom and equipment.

The Disappearance

After refueling, the subject ordered the crew to fly toward Mexico City under specific technical constraints: an altitude below 10,000 feet, a speed of approximately 170 knots, and the landing gear and flaps remained deployed. At approximately 8:13 p.m., while over the Lewis River region in southwest Washington, the subject lowered the aircraft’s rear airstair and parachuted into a freezing rainstorm. Despite an extensive search by the FBI and military, the subject was never located.

Critical Evidence

Microscopic Particulates: A black J.C. Penney clip-on tie left at seat 18-E was found to contain over 100,000 microscopic particles. Modern analysis identified rare metals, including unalloyed titanium and strontium sulfide, suggesting the subject worked in a specialized aerospace or chemical environment.
Recovered Ransom: In 1980, an eight-year-old boy discovered three bundles of rotting twenty-dollar bills totaling $5,800 buried at Tina Bar on the Columbia River. The serial numbers matched the ransom money recorded by the FBI.
Subject Sketches: Based on witness testimony from the flight crew, the FBI produced several composite sketches of the man who became known in the media as “D.B. Cooper”.

Suspect Analysis

The FBI considered over 800 potential suspects during its 45-year investigation. Notable individuals included:

Richard Floyd McCoy Jr.: Arrested for a nearly identical copycat hijacking four months later, but ruled out due to physical descriptions.
Robert Rackstraw: A former Army pilot with specialized training. Despite claims from independent investigators of “nine points of match” between Rackstraw and the sketches, the FBI officially eliminated him as a suspect in 1979.
Sheridan Peterson: A Boeing technical editor and expert skydiver who matched the physical profile but provided an alibi in Nepal.

Final Disposition

In July 2016, the FBI redirected the resources allocated to the NORJAK case to other priorities. While the case remains administratively closed, the Bureau will still consider new physical evidence, such as the missing parachutes or the remaining ransom money.

Available Evidence

A black clip-on tie resting on a blue fabric surface, with a clasp visible on one end. — *During the hijacking, Cooper was wearing this black J.C. Penney tie, which he removed before jumping; it later provided us with a DNA sample.*

A collection of deteriorated twenty-dollar bills arranged on a surface, showing significant wear and damage. — *Money recovered in 1980 that matched the ransom money serial numbers.*

An olive green parachute bag with a carabiner clip and visible straps, laying on a blue cloth background.

The canvas bag that contained one of the parachutes given to D.B. Cooper in 1971. Cooper asked for four chutes in all; he jumped with two (including one that was used for instruction and had been sewn shut). He used the cord from one of the remaining parachutes to tie the stolen money bag shut.