Claim The FBI secretly knows who Cooper was.
Timeline beat 24 Nov 1971 — Flight 305 hijacked
The 2016 suspension said the opposite: no identification that justified a case. Released files are thick with names and thin on proof.
Darker cells mean a higher score for this topic on that metric.
Notoriety90
Mystery96
Scale42
Evidence38
Legal impact74
Culture88
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Quick answers
Who was D.B. Cooper?
An unidentified man who used the ticket name Dan Cooper on Northwest Orient Flight 305 on 24 November 1971. D.B. Cooper is a press error that stuck. No one was convicted. The FBI suspended the case in 2016.
What did he demand and receive?
He demanded $200,000 and four parachutes. Northwest Orient delivered that sum in $20 bills whose serial numbers were recorded, plus the chutes, at Seattle-Tacoma before the passengers were released.
Where did he leave the aircraft?
After the Seattle departure, over southwestern Washington, using the Boeing 727’s aft airstairs. The FBI’s first search box centred near Ariel; later wind models widened the corridor. No confirmed landing site was found.
Was any of the ransom found?
Yes. On 10 February 1980 Brian Ingram found about $5,800 in deteriorating $20 bills on Tena Bar, a Columbia River beach near Vancouver, Washington. The FBI matched serial numbers to the ransom list. The rest of the money remains unaccounted for.
Did the FBI identify a suspect?
The Bureau investigated thousands of names and publicly discussed several persons of interest. None was charged as Cooper. Richard McCoy, a 1972 hijacker, was a recurring comparison and was not adopted as the Flight 305 jumper.
Why is the case still unsolved?
No body, unused chute or unused ransom cache was authenticated. Witnesses aged. The 1980 river find did not lead to a person. In 2016 the FBI said active investigation was no longer justified.
Operational time is one evening in 1971. Investigative time ran forty-five years.
Dates below prefer FBI and airline paper over suspect folklore.
Timeline
JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember
- Flight 305 hijacked
Dan Cooper boards at Portland, presents a threat after takeoff and demands $200,000 and four parachutes.
- Seattle ransom and release
Money and chutes come aboard at Sea-Tac. Passengers leave. The 727 departs toward Mexico with a Reno fuel stop planned.
- Reno landing
The aircraft arrives with aft stairs down and Cooper gone. NORJAK opens.
- Composites issued
FBI sketches of the hijacker circulate nationwide. The press name D.B. Cooper is already fixed.
- McCoy comparison
Richard Floyd McCoy Jr. hijacks a different flight and is widely compared to Cooper. The FBI does not adopt him as the Flight 305 jumper.
- Tena Bar find
Brian Ingram uncovers about $5,800 in ransom $20s on a Columbia River sandbar near Vancouver, Washington.
- Cooper vane era
Aft-stair locks on 727s and tighter screening are the lasting operational answer to the jump method used on Flight 305.
- Citizen suspects
Books and television recycle names — among them Duane Weber and others — without producing a charge.
- FBI suspends NORJAK
The Bureau says the case is no longer an active investigation. The file remains unsolved.
- Private paper
Amateur groups continue to argue jump coordinates and DNA on the Tena Bar bills. No court has named Cooper.
Claim versus timeline
Each public-record claim on this dossier sits beside the timeline chapter already on the page.
Public-record encyclopedia. Not legal advice, not a how-to, not a private file.
Claim Richard McCoy was D.B. Cooper.
Timeline beat 24 Nov 1971 — Seattle ransom and release
McCoy committed a later, separate hijacking. The FBI compared the files and did not charge him as the Flight 305 jumper.
Claim Cooper’s real given name was D.B.
Timeline beat 24 Nov 1971 — Reno landing
The ticket said Dan Cooper. D.B. is a wire-service error attached to a local man who was not the hijacker.
Claim The ransom has all been found.
Timeline beat 1972–73 — Composites issued
Only about $5,800 was authenticated, in 1980 on Tena Bar. The rest remains missing.
Beat weight marks
Mark each timeline beat already on this dossier as supported, contested or unknown, using the public-record claims already filed here. Not a verdict.
Editorial marks on this device only. Public-record encyclopedia — not legal advice, not a how-to, not a private file.
| Timeline beat | Supported / Contested / Unknown |
|---|---|
| 24 Nov 1971 — Flight 305 hijacked Claim already on file: The FBI secretly knows who Cooper was. | |
| 24 Nov 1971 — Seattle ransom and release Claim already on file: Richard McCoy was D.B. Cooper. | |
| 24 Nov 1971 — Reno landing Claim already on file: Cooper’s real given name was D.B. | |
| 1972–73 — Composites issued Claim already on file: The ransom has all been found. | |
| 1972 — McCoy comparison Claim already on file: The ransom has all been found. | |
| 10 Feb 1980 — Tena Bar find Claim already on file: The ransom has all been found. | |
| 1981 — Cooper vane era Claim already on file: The ransom has all been found. | |
| 2000s — Citizen suspects Claim already on file: The ransom has all been found. | |
| 12 Jul 2016 — FBI suspends NORJAK Claim already on file: The ransom has all been found. | |
| 2016– — Private paper Claim already on file: The ransom has all been found. |
After 2016 the official paper thins and the anniversary features thicken.
Public-record encyclopedia. Not legal advice. Not a how-to. Graphic detail is withheld. Wars belong in a separate atlas.