On the afternoon of November 24, 1971, a quiet man walked into an airline counter in Portland, Oregon, bought a one-way ticket to Seattle and boarded Flight #305. Within hours, he would exchange the passengers for parachutes and $200,000 in cash. Then, somewhere between Seattle and Reno, he disappeared into the darkness, as per a report by the FBI.
More than a half-century later, the mystery surrounding the man who called himself Dan Cooper remains unresolved. The FBI investigated the case for years, examined evidence, followed hundreds of leads and considered hundreds of suspects, yet never established who he really was or what happened after his jump.
Who was the man behind the name Dan Cooper?
Cooper appeared to be in his mid-40s and dressed like an ordinary businessman, wearing a dark suit, white shirt and black tie. Before takeoff, he ordered a bourbon and soda. Shortly after 3 p.m., he handed a stewardess a note. He claimed he had a bomb inside his briefcase and asked her to sit beside him.
When she opened the inexpensive attaché case, Cooper showed her what appeared to be wires and red-colored sticks. He then dictated his demands.
The stewardess carried a second note to the captain. Cooper wanted four parachutes and $200,000 in twenty-dollar bills.
The ransom and parachutes were eventually delivered when the aircraft reached Seattle. Cooper released the 36 passengers but kept several members of the crew. The plane then departed again, heading toward Mexico City as instructed.
