One Of The Most Bizarre Disappearances In U.S. History Happened Right Here In Oregon And It Will Leave You Stunned
On November 24, 1971 a man going by the name Dan Cooper boarded a plane in Portland, Oregon. The series of events that followed would soon have all of America talking. After boarding his flight, Cooper successfully hijacked the plane, extorted $200,000 from the FBI and then escaped via parachute. To this day, the unsolved mystery of D.B. Cooper’s disappearance is one of the most baffling events in U.S. history.
Take a look:
The day before Thanksgiving, 1971, a man calling himself Dan Cooper bought a one-way, $20 ticket for Northwest Airlines Flight 305 from Portland to Seattle.
Once he was on the plane, the man put on a pair of dark shades, ordered himself a whiskey and handed the stewardess a note. It said, "I HAVE A BOMB IN MY BRIEFCASE. I WILL USE IT IF NECESSARY. I WANT YOU TO SIT NEXT TO ME. YOU ARE BEING HIJACKED."
When the plane landed in Seattle, Cooper demanded $200,000 in cash and four parachutes. In exchange, he released all 36 passengers. Once the exchange was made, Cooper instructed the pilot to fly him to Mexico.
Then, just 45 minutes after take-off, Cooper released the plane's aft stairs and parachuted into the night somewhere over southwestern Washington.
Military troops were called in days after the hijacking and tasked with searching the suspected jump zone on foot and by helicopter. No trace of Cooper was found.
In 1980, an eight-year-old boy uncovered three bundles of cash with rubber bands attached on the sandy banks of the Columbia River at Tena Bar. The FBI confirmed that the Cooper serial numbers matched, and the money was indeed a portion of the ransom.
There are numerous conspiracy theories about Cooper's disappearance. Whether he survived the jump or not is still hotly debated. In any case, the FBI continued their search for Cooper up until 2016. His disappearance remains unsolved.
Every year, the small town of Ariel, Washington celebrates "D.B. Cooper Day" in honor of this legendary fugitive.
To watch a full-length documentary on the D.B. Cooper case, check out this YouTube video from user History:
To watch a full-length documentary on the D.B. Cooper case, check out this YouTube video from user History:
For more unsolved Beaver State mysteries, check out our previous article: This Mysterious Design That Appeared In Oregon Will Leave You Scratching Your Head.
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