FBI finally finished its voluntary investigation at the end of 45 years from the complete crime "D. B. Cooper's case" that the hijackers disappeared with ransom with parasute

Unresolved incident that occurred in 1971D. B. Cooper's case"FBI announced the substantial investigation abortion. The incident was in 45 years, almost in the state of labyrinth entering.

FBI - Update on Investigation of 1971 Hijacking by D. B. Cooper
https://www.fbi.gov/seattle/press-releases/2016/update-on-investigation-of-1971-hijacking-by-d.b.-cooper


D. B. Cooper case no longer actively investigated by FBI | KIRO-TV
http://www.kiro7.com/news/local/db-cooper-case-no-longer-actively-investigated-by-fbi/397251270


FBI shuts down D.B. Cooper air piracy case after 45 years - YouTube


◆Hijack occurrence
The incident occurred on 24th November 1971. On this day, a man naming "Dan Cooper" from Portland International Airport got a black Attache case,Boeing 727-100Operated byNorthwest / Orient AirI boarded a flight to Seattle for flight 305.

About 14:30, around one third of the journey, Cooper handed a note to flight attendant Florence Shafner, a flight attendant. Cooper said, "Miss you, you should read the inside, I have a bomb, because Mr. Shafner thought that he gave me the phone number and put the folded notes as it is in my bag." I told you. When Mr. Shafner said to show the bomb to see the truth, Cooper showed in the Attache case that something like eight red bombs and cables and a cylindrical battery connected to it It was. Cooper's request is ransom with a ransom of 200 thousand dollars (at a rate of 1 dollar = 314 yen at that time it is about 62.8 million yen) and four parachutes (two are reserve), and preparing to refuel the plane when arriving in Seattle It was to do.

Mr. Shafner told Captain William Scott this request, from the captainSeattle · Tacoma AirportThe information was transmitted to the air traffic control of the city, and further to the local authorities and federal authorities. Northwest Orient Airlines President Donald Neurof accepted payment of ransom as requested by Cooper and made 305 flight over Puget Sound while preparing ransom and parachute.


At this time, Mr. Shafner heard that Cooper says "Tacoma is under the eyes", "McCord Air Force Base is about 20 minutes by car from Seattle-Tacoma Airport". It seems that the impression of Cooper as a person was calm and polite, the wording was polite, and it felt that it was far from the stereotypes of hijackers who were considered at that time. Tina McClow who also boarded 305 flights as a flight attendant also said, "It was thoughtful and calm all over from the beginning, not a cold or a mean person." As this person's statue, Cooper seems to have offered meals for the crew during the parking in Seattle.

◆Passenger release in Seattle, re-takeoff
Flight 305 arrived at Seattle-Tacoma airport at 17:39. Cooper dropped all the passengers and Mr. Shafner, a flight attendant, Alice Hancock, from the plane. Cooper here revealed to the crew a plan to keep the altitude 3000 m and fly southeast in the direction of Mexico City with a speed of 100 knots (about 190 km / h) that is not stalled. At this time, keep leaving the landing gear out even during flight, lower the flap to 15 degrees, not to pressurize the cabin, open the rear doorAir-stay(The stairway for getting on and off) as well.

By R. W. Rynerson

However, the range of this aircraft is approximately 1600 km, and Cooper needed lubrication once before entering Mexico, so Cooper contacts the crew and lands once in Reno, Nevada State I admitted that. As for disinfecting the rear air staircase and taking off, it disagrees that Northwest Orient Airlines' headquarters side is dangerous, and Cooper argued that "it is totally safe", but finally accepted this It was.

At 19:40, the 305 flight took off from Seattle-Tacoma Airport with Cooper, Scott captain, co-pilot William Rutakuzak, aviation engineer HE Anderson, cabin crew member McLough, with a total of only five people . Two machines that flew away from McCaw Air Force BaseF-106But I pinched the top and bottom of flight 305 so as not to enter Cooper 's field of vision. After this take off, Mr. McClow is watching Cooper install something on his back.

At around 20 o'clock, a lamp indicating the operation of the rear air-stay is lit with 305 flight cockpit. As there was a change in atmospheric pressure, the crew realized that the rear door opened. At this time, the crew is calling the airstairs with a telephone device, but he said that he was immediately turned off.

The rear of the aircraft suddenly jumped upward at around 20:13. This movement was large enough that the captain needs to operate to bring the aircraft back to level.

305 flights arrived at Reno, Nevada as agreed with Cooper at 22:15. At this time, Reno police surrounding the airplane immediately confirmed that there was no Cooper, leaving the rear air-stays out.

◆Cooper that disappeared
Cooper is thought to have jumped at 20:13, wearing a parachute. As a result of experiment using FBI 91 kg dummy, the impact of the aircraft that occurred at 20:00 was confirmed to be due to Cooper. At this time as well, the two F - 106s were tracking 305 flights, but I confirmed the appearance that some of the pilots jumped down and the parachutes that would have been deployed after that Is not ... However, Cooper is thought to be invisible because it was a white shirt with dark suit, black raincoat, loafers, black necktie.

Just at around 20:13, the 305 flight was flying through the storm in the sky over the Lewis river flowing southwest of Washington State, even though the flight path position and altitude are slightly different, Cooper's landing point changed drastically Furui has been suffering because of what to look for and where to look. After all, the FBI mobilized the stationary wing aircraft and helicopters of the Oregon state guard along the flight route from Seattle to Reno and did a search, but in addition to a few plastic pieces, no thing related to hijacking is found It was.


In the investigation, the FBI and the local police began investigating from suspects to be taken immediately. One of the suspects was a man named "D. B. Cooper" living in Oregon state. This person quickly departed from the suspect list, but Clyde Jabin reporter of UPI communication and Joe Fraser reporter of AP communication are in the list of "Dan Cooper" and suspect list used in the passenger list As a result of co-confusing "DB Cooper", people named "DB Cooper" expanded, and the incident itself was also called "DB Cooper hijacking".

As a giant of Cooper, a method to follow from banknotes of all ransom which was refrained from all numbers was taken, but this banknote was not found easily, and in the beginning of 1972, Attorney General John Mitchell announced the number in general. For this reason, I forged a 20-dollar bill with the same number, called himself a hijacker, and even appeared to someone who deceives a weekly news week's reporter

◆Discovery of a bundle
In 1978, a memo containing instructions to lower the air staircase of flight 305 was discovered by Hunter in the forest road 21 km east of Castle Rock, Washington State.

And in February 1980, an 8-year-old boy named Brian Ingram, who was about to do a campfire with his family, found a part of ransom. The place is located 14 kilometers from the Columbia River (the border between Oregon State and Washington State) from Vancouver, Washington State (lower right) below.


The bundle found was three, because the boy gathered from the riverbank for the purpose of making a campfire, it was in a state of collapse remarkably, but it was still bundled with the rubber band. FBI examined, the two bundles kept 100 20-dollar bills intact and 90 bundles for the other. It was said that the order was not different from when it was given to Cooper.


However, the bidding did not become a decision strike. In the first place, the bundle did not know whether Cooper or someone put it here, or flowed through the river, and in 1974 the riverdredgingIt is because there was a possibility that it was done and was scooped up from the bottom of the river. Also, from the sheriff of Kauritz County, I also gave an opinion that Cooper was mistakenly dropped when he was still on the airstairs.

The FBI saved 14 out of the bundle, and the rest was distributed between Mr. Ingram and the Northwest Orient Air insurer in 1986. Mr Ingram got 15 auctions out of his banknotes in 2008 and sold it for about 4 million yen.

Until now, the undiscovered 9710 banknotes remain unknown evident anywhere in the world.

Parachutes and others were found several times in the surrounding area, but we know that neither is unrelated to the incident, experts remained in the eruption of Mount St. Helens, which occurred in 1980 I guess that the physical evidence has disappeared.

Movie of St. Helens Volcano eruption in the USA - GIGAZINE


◆Investigation of the 21st century
Even in the 21st century, the investigation was long and continued.

From tie pins, one of the few evidences, three organism samples were obtained in 2001 and a partial DNA pattern was announced. However, there was no evidence that this organic sample was from Cooper and I could not find out who it was.

Also, under the Cooper, two parachutes and two preliminary parachutes were delivered, but those of the excellent "not a" one, and the further selected preliminary parachutes were mixed by chance when gathering parachutes It was revealed that it was thing of dummy (for practice). To be dummy is understood by sky diving experience, it is believed that the preliminary parachute that could be used without problems was used for a bag filled with gold.

In March 2009, FBI formed the "Cooper Research Team" by Mr. Tom Kay and others of paleontologists. The team challenged the case with modern equipment that was not used in the investigation of the then 1971, examined the tie that Cooper had worn by electron microscope,LycopersiconSpores andBismuth, I discovered fragments of aluminum.

In addition, pure titanium particles were also found in 2011. At the time of the incident, titanium was unusual compared with now, it was unavoidable unless it was a metal manufacturer, production equipment, a chemical manufacturer that needed to store corrosive substances, and so on. From this, Mr. Kei thought that Cooper was a crafter, a metallurgist, a metal manufacturer or a chemical manufacturer engineer or manager, or a person dealing with scrap from those companies.

However, we still could not reach the suspect, FBI announced that it would end voluntary investigation activities by deciding to turn the investigators who were in charge of Cooper into a more important case this time.

However, according to the FBI, the investigation has been completed completely, it is not that he quit the investigation, he will continue looking for parachutes and evidence related to ransom.