Modern Mysteries

New DB Cooper documentary is out on Netflix

By T.K. Randall
July 13, 2022

Image Credit: Federal Bureau of Investigation It remains one of the most intriguing and enduring plane hijackings in history - a true crime mystery that has been subject to a decades-long FBI investigation (described as the 'longest and most exhaustive investigation' in US history) and that has attracted the attention of amateur sleuths across the country who - even to this day - remain dedicated to solving the case once and for all.

Now streaming giant Netflix has released a new documentary series into the mystery - D.B. Cooper: Where Are You?! - which explores the history of the case as well as the latest findings.

"In 1971, a skyjacker parachutes off a plane with a bag of stolen cash - and gets away with it," the synopsis reads. "Decades later, his identity remains a compelling mystery."

The four-part series features interviews with some of the investigators and attempts to answer the question of who the man was and what happened to him.

The incident itself, which occurred on November 24th, 1971, began when a man, who identified himself as Dan Cooper, boarded Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305 to travel from Portland to Seattle.

During the trip, Cooper called over one of the flight attendants and asked them to write out a note declaring that he had a bomb in his briefcase and that the plane was being hijacked. When the aircraft stopped at Tacoma International Airport, he allowed the passengers to leave in exchange for four parachutes and the sum of $200,000 in cash.

After the plane had taken off again, Cooper strapped the bag of money to himself, put on one of the parachutes and jumped out somewhere between Seattle and Reno. No trace of him was ever found.

Some believe that Cooper had perished after jumping from the plane while others believe that he had survived and had used the stolen money to change his identity and disappear off the grid.

A few clues have turned up over the years, including some of the stolen money which was discovered quite by accident by a young boy along the Columbia River in Washington in February, 1980.

Cooper's black tie was also found on the airplane following the hijacking, however despite applying modern forensic techniques, investigators have been unable to identify who the man was.

There have been several leads and suspects over the years, including some put forward by amateur investigators, but to date Cooper has never been conclusively identified.


Source: YouTube

Tags: DB Cooper