WA WA - D.B. Cooper hijacking mystery, 24 Nov 1971 - #1

[leftcoast]

Cooper is extremely healthy, both mentally and physically.

Cooper doesn't have a limp. I have no idea where that started from.

Others, McCoy, McNally, have also performed the same jump (McNally was at 300 knots), and neither one got injured. And they were amatuers.

I don't know what type of sentence he would get.

I do know that back in 72, Mccoy got life. '

However, unless they have DNA, or a print, this case could be difficult to prove.

Regardless of what happens in court, at least we know how he did it, why he wasn't caught, and we will know his identity.

I hate to be a Monday morning quarterback, but, I said from day one that the Feds should have kept the row of seats that Cooper sat in. You can't sit in a seat for 5 hours, and not leave some type of evidence behind.

left

 

[Camper]

I have just finished page 2.


Leftcoast, have you ever taken a photo of this man, with a cell
phone camera on the sly? You mention that you interviewed
the two stewardesses from the hijacked flight, and that they
were still scared by the event.

So, where I am going with this train of thought is obvious of
course, huh?

My son was in the 82nd airborne and the question about a limp
came from my own mind.

The 'suspect' sounds like a very sturdy fellow. What price range
home does he live in? Perhaps this has been covered on pages
that I have not yet read.

This is certainly food for mental thought, right up there
with Jack the Ripper.

.

 

[Camper]

Cooper is extremely healthy, both mentally and physically.

Cooper doesn't have a limp. I have no idea where that started from.

Others, McCoy, McNally, have also performed the same jump (McNally was at 300 knots), and neither one got injured. And they were amatuers.

I don't know what type of sentence he would get.

I do know that back in 72, Mccoy got life. '

However, unless they have DNA, or a print, this case could be difficult to prove.

Regardless of what happens in court, at least we know how he did it, why he wasn't caught, and we will know his identity.

I hate to be a Monday morning quarterback, but, I said from day one that the Feds should have kept the row of seats that Cooper sat in. You can't sit in a seat for 5 hours, and not leave some type of evidence behind.

left

--->>>I donut believe that we had DNA back in 1971, but how
about 'a' fingerprint on the control that lowered the hatch?

.

 

[leftcoast]

--->>>I donut believe that we had DNA back in 1971, but how
about 'a' fingerprint on the control that lowered the hatch?

.

I do have recent photos of him. Plus, an interview with a crew.

We also have photo's of him from around the time of the hijacking, which are the most important of all.

As far as I know, DNA came into commercial use in the early 90's.

However, if the FBI preserved the cigarette butts, or any hair found on the seats, or the cups he drank from, you never know. I do know that LE has retreived DNA from a cigarette butt that was 20 years old. DNA in this case is extremely unlikely.

There were 67 latent prints that were unidentified. Whose to say one of those isn't his. Unlikely? yes, possible, yes.

As for his place, he is living above his means.

That isn't the most important thing, however. What is important is the difference in lifestyle from 1970 to 1972, which is phenominal.

YEs, the flight attendants are both still scared.

They are not happy with the way Cooper got away, and the media attention, and the countless photographs brought to them by the FBI.

left

BTW Camper: None of the passengers got a good look at Cooper. Why? Because Cooper told the flight crew not to inform the passengers of the hijacking. Hence, nobody paid attention to the man seated in the last row wearing sunglasses. The flight was only 1/3 full, with only 36 passengers.

There was a 20 year old student named Bill Mitchell, seated across from Cooper, but, he wasn't aware of the hijacking so paid little attention to Cooper. All he said, was that Cooper hair was shiny, as if if were dyed, and that he was wearing long underwear.

So, the flight attendants, who were 22, 23, and 25 years old, were the only eye witnesses.

 

[leftcoast]

Just a thought, but maybe he got his name from a grave marker from the area?

Hey Mystic,

I don't know where he got the alias.

Some have suggested from Gary Cooper, and his movie, JOhn Doe

I think it is from a 1950's comic book test pilot popular in Canada who was named Dan Cooper.

Another thought is there was a Gorden Cooper who was a famous test pilot and astronaut in the early 60's. He never got any credit, as we all know in society, the first to anything, Armstrong, Yeager, etc., get all the credit. Cooper was also a great stick and rudder guy, according to articles.

Could be from a grave.

left

 

[AlwaysShocked]

Oh, left, please don't take me wrong! I was just getting a chuckle from mentally picturing a bunch of statues coming to life and running out the door of a museum! (But maybe I am a candidate for membership in that Nitpickers Club??)

I sure wish I could get the broadcasts in mid-may over here in Pennsylvania but will need to rely on scandi or others to write a "blow by blow" description of the entire three programs.

And I think one of the networks like Court TV should be tracking down leftcoast and his friend for a program about his efforts, how they came to be interested, how they ended up putting the pieces together, etc. That, to me, would be more interesting that the original story.

So sorry to hear the flight attendants are still affected by this experience. It probably caused them to have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which did not even have a name then, I don't think. (Most of the formalized studies on PTSD came after the Vietnam vets came home and began seeking help at VA hospitals nationwide) Plus the factoid that db cooper offered the flight attendants money "for their trouble" - so strange! And what does it say about him, psychologically? That he recognized their very apparent distress and wanted to somehow "take care of them"?

leftcoast: If you can:
Was this man a married man at the time of the highjacking? Prior to the highjacking? Any children, either before or since the event?
Also, was this man actually a member of the club that the guy who voluntarily packed the chutes for the FBI to satisfy the highjacker's demands was from? What did other members of his skydiving club have to say about him and his character? Did you get any sense of in what regard people hold him who know him now?

 

[leftcoast]

Oh, left, please don't take me wrong! I was just getting a chuckle from mentally picturing a bunch of statues coming to life and running out the door of a museum! (But maybe I am a candidate for membership in that Nitpickers Club??)

I sure wish I could get the broadcasts in mid-may over here in Pennsylvania but will need to rely on scandi or others to write a "blow by blow" description of the entire three programs.

And I think one of the networks like Court TV should be tracking down leftcoast and his friend for a program about his efforts, how they came to be interested, how they ended up putting the pieces together, etc. That, to me, would be more interesting that the original story.

So sorry to hear the flight attendants are still affected by this experience. It probably caused them to have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which did not even have a name then, I don't think. (Most of the formalized studies on PTSD came after the Vietnam vets came home and began seeking help at VA hospitals nationwide) Plus the factoid that db cooper offered the flight attendants money "for their trouble" - so strange! And what does it say about him, psychologically? That he recognized their very apparent distress and wanted to somehow "take care of them"?

leftcoast: If you can:
Was this man a married man at the time of the highjacking? Prior to the highjacking? Any children, either before or since the event?
Also, was this man actually a member of the club that the guy who voluntarily packed the chutes for the FBI to satisfy the highjacker's demands was from? What did other members of his skydiving club have to say about him and his character? Did you get any sense of in what regard people hold him who know him now?

I like your idea about Court Tv. Instead of Nancy Grace talking about Anna Nicole Smith every single night for one month, let's talk about a crime. After all, it is "court tv", isn't it? But, I do like your idea. Same with Greta's show. Enough of hearing about the no-talent Anna Nicole.

Human behavior is rather interesting. Supposedly, the one flight attendant really enjoyed the media. Whereas, the main gal, Tina, seemed bothered and eventually entered a monastery.

I guess the Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome is an accurate description. I find it impossible this event didn't result in "nightmares", or fear of flying.

It is odd Cooper offered them each 2,000. As if they would have been able to keep it. IF you think about, it was his way of easing his conscious. In my mind, it is similar to his statement that Cooper was "gentle" with the flight attendants. I also think the FA's reminded him of his daughter, who was in high school at the time.

Cooper was not married at the time of the hijacking. Divorced with a high school age daughter. He also had a son, but, he walked away from that kid and the mother when he was 19.

The guy who packed the chutes, EC, for Cooper lived in Seattle, whereas Cooper was from Portland.

EC was a rigger, and I believe he also made parachutes. I don't know how good of a skydiver EC was or is.

Cooper was not in the same skydiving club as EC. I'm not even sure Cooper was in a skydiving club. They lived 160 miles away from each other.

Cooper knew of this guy, I believe, because he sold parachutes and was a rigger. The skydiving community is very small, and everyone knows everyone. I'm sure it is like that today.

Don't know about Cooper's reputation at the time. While doing this investigation, we had to make certain other's wouldn't suspect we were closing in on any particular person. Trust me, word travels quickly.

As for now, he has quite a few friends in Mayberry. Like the rest of us, some like him, and some don't. But, nobody has any knowledge of his true criminal background, and nobody has any idea he is Cooper.

Trust me, because of Cooper's crimes and other events in his life, he is very nervous when you visit his place. Now, of course, he knows us. Once it is public, you will understand why Cooper was constantly looking over his shoulder.

good questions.

left

 

[scandi]

Hi, I will be glad to do a blow by blow AlwaysShocked. But I will bet your boots that whoever visited our D.B. Cooper before Left and his fellow sleuther got there will be ON it. I know it will be picked up by someone in national media because it is too interesting a story. It is just what every news source is looking for: an interesting story about an unusual event or character with a bit of American Justice thrown in to give it purpose.

I remember during the SP case we had several media people who read here and at CTV. The one gal's initials are NG! LOLOLOL

 

[Rhett]

Maybe I am ignorant and I know I am confused. Do you know Cooper's real name? If he called the police or FBI right after and said that it wasn't him then don't they know as well? Also, if Cooper has a son and a daughter couldn't DNA be gotten from them and compared to your Cooper? Also, did the father of the girl disappear from her life following this event?

 

[leftcoast]

Maybe I am ignorant and I know I am confused. Do you know Cooper's real name? If he called the police or FBI right after and said that it wasn't him then don't they know as well? Also, if Cooper has a son and a daughter couldn't DNA be gotten from them and compared to your Cooper? Also, did the father of the girl disappear from her life following this event?

Yes, I know his name. We have talked to him numerous times.

Yes, the FBI knows his name. As stated in the thread, the FBI eliminated him as a suspect because our suspect called in while the hijacked plane was still in the air. However, we know Cooper jumped at 8:13, our suspect called at 10pm, and the plane landed in Reno at 11pm.

Yes, DNA could be retreived from the daughter or son. I don't think the FBI is aware of the son. However, Cooper is still alive, and they could simply get DNA from him.

I don't think the FBI has a DNA makeup for the hijacker. I don't think anyone in the FBI had the foresight in the early 90's to attempt to get a DNA profile from the cigarettes, hair (if collected), etc. Hence, I think a DNA match is almost nil.

I also don't believe anyone had the foresight to run the latent prints through AFIS. I think this case was deemed unable to solve. Let's not waste anymore money on it, type of thing. Some agents thought Cooper died, some thought it was McCoy, etc. PLus, it is possible that none of the 67 latent prints are from the hijacker. They could simply be from passengers, flight attendants, etc.

The father did not disappear from his daughter's life.

left

 

[AlwaysShocked]

Rhett: leftcoast is 99% sure that the guy he has been interviewing is, in fact, db cooper. So he refers to him as "Mr. Cooper".

But that is not really the guy's name and it never WAS his real name. It is a name the highjacker made up to use for the highjacking.

When the story is made public the actual name of the man will be used.

 

[leftcoast]

Rhett: leftcoast is 99% sure that the guy he has been interviewing is, in fact, db cooper. So he refers to him as "Mr. Cooper".

But that is not really the guy's name and it never WAS his real name. It is a name the highjacker made up to use for the highjacking.

When the story is made public the actual name of the man will be used.

A.S.

Thanks for clearing it up.

I guess that I have been guilty of interchanging names, thus, confusing readers of the thread.

A.S. is correct. Dan, DB Cooper was simply a fake name.

My suspect's real name will be disclosed on KOIN's show in three weeks, or sooner.



BTW: One or more of the answers related to my suspects "position" was correct. Congratulations are in order. Obviously, I can't give away who was correct, but, some very good guesses.


I don't know if I can wait three weeks to spill the beans.

I now know firsthand how hard it is to keep a secret.

Can you imagine if Cooper had an accomplice? How in the world would he/she be able to keep a secret for 35 years?

There has to be a part of our suspect that wants the world to know he outsmarted the FBI for 35 years. Don't you think?

Maybe that is why he enjoys talking to us about the case.


left

 

[Camper]

A.S.

Thanks for clearing it up.

I guess that I have been guilty of interchanging names, thus, confusing readers of the thread.

A.S. is correct. Dan, DB Cooper was simply a fake name.

My suspect's real name will be disclosed on KOIN's show in three weeks, or sooner.



BTW: One or more of the answers related to my suspects "position" was correct. Congratulations are in order. Obviously, I can't give away who was correct, but, some very good guesses.


I don't know if I can wait three weeks to spill the beans.

I now know firsthand how hard it is to keep a secret.

Can you imagine if Cooper had an accomplice? How in the world would he/she be able to keep a secret for 35 years?

There has to be a part of our suspect that wants the world to know he outsmarted the FBI for 35 years. Don't you think?

Maybe that is why he enjoys talking to us about the case.


left

--->>>Hmmm, someone famous once said that two people can keep
a secret IF one of them is dead.

That is a possibility in my book of wonderment.

.

 

[leftcoast]

You're doing great so far!

Sorry Adnoid:

If I had it my way, the show would air tonight.

But, it is out of my hands. I say we just move "sweeps" week up a few weeks.


left

Why won't he confess? It's not like I would tell anyone? lol

 

[scandi]

24 more days to wait!~ lol But we will make it. I think you are doing well too Left. The culmination of all the hours you and your friend have spent researching this case will be realized with success in a relatively short period of time. We all can ride it out!

I don't think he had an accomplice because I think he was so knowledgable he knew he could make it safely on his own. There are two things I do wonder about though:

1} How did he change the $20 bills into money he could spend? None of them ever were returned to Treasury. He had to have a connection to launder the bills which are evidently all still in circulation or in a foreign land, right?

2} He would have to have had a car parked, ready and waiting at his drop site so he could travel back home and make that 10pm phone call. He could have left it out there, but how did he travel back home after leaving the car their. I am assuming a car would be the logical way for him to travel from south Battleground down to Vancouver Lake.

I am trying to discover how he handled these two things without any assistance.

Scandi

 

[Camper]

24 more days to wait!~ lol But we will make it. I think you are doing well too Left. The culmination of all the hours you and your friend have spent researching this case will be realized with success in a relatively short period of time. We all can ride it out!

I don't think he had an accomplice because I think he was so knowledgable he knew he could make it safely on his own. There are two things I do wonder about though:

1} How did he change the $20 bills into money he could spend? None of them ever were returned to Treasury. He had to have a connection to launder the bills which are evidently all still in circulation or in a foreign land, right?

2} He would have to have had a car parked, ready and waiting at his drop site so he could travel back home and make that 10pm phone call. He could have left it out there, but how did he travel back home after leaving the car their. I am assuming a car would be the logical way for him to travel from south Battleground down to Vancouver Lake.

I am trying to discover how he handled these two things without any assistance.

Scandi

--->>>Well slot machines will take $20.00 bills and credit to
the machine you are using, THEN you could push the CASH OUT
button and get a bucket full of quarters, OR $1.00 coins IF IF you
are playing a dollar slot. REPEAT the process until you have the
cash you need without raising eyebrows. Then you just take your bucket of
coins to the cashier and they give you non stolen bills, for
the amount of coins in your bucket.

THEN you could go to another casino and another casino, and
do the same thing.

.

 

[leftcoast]

24 more days to wait!~ lol But we will make it. I think you are doing well too Left. The culmination of all the hours you and your friend have spent researching this case will be realized with success in a relatively short period of time. We all can ride it out!

I don't think he had an accomplice because I think he was so knowledgable he knew he could make it safely on his own. There are two things I do wonder about though:

1} How did he change the $20 bills into money he could spend? None of them ever were returned to Treasury. He had to have a connection to launder the bills which are evidently all still in circulation or in a foreign land, right?

2} He would have to have had a car parked, ready and waiting at his drop site so he could travel back home and make that 10pm phone call. He could have left it out there, but how did he travel back home after leaving the car their. I am assuming a car would be the logical way for him to travel from south Battleground down to Vancouver Lake.

I am trying to discover how he handled these two things without any assistance.

Scandi

Hi Scandi: good points

first all, the theory that the agent has been spinning about none of the money being in circulation is not true, and he knows it.

In one of the shows, the Treasury department was interviewed, and they admitted that if the bills were in circulation, the chances are the bills being found is almost nil.

The only people with a list of the twenties for the first two years were tellers in the northwest. And they were simply asked to look at twenties in their possession whenever they had a chance. THe list was not made public for two years.

The average twenty dollar bill last 2 years in circulation. The treasury exchanges old, beat up, bills every single day when the bills get returned to the local Federal Reserve banks. These bills are not scanned, and their serial numbers were never compared to the Cooper money. Doing something like this, would have cost millions of dollars.

Plus, some people in the northwest part of the U.S., may have looked at a twenty here or there, but, do you know anyone in the east, midwest, south, who has ever examined a bill to see if it was part of the Cooper heist? PLus, there are billions of twenties in circulation. Cooper knew what he was doing when he asked for twenties.

2) As for dumping a car at the jump site. Rather easy. You simply use a station wagon or pick up truck and put a motorcycle or bicycle in the back. You get to your jump site, leave the vehicle behind, jump on the motorcycle or bicycle and ride 20 miles back to your home.

Other options include hitchhiking, which was much more common in the 70's than today. Although, I doubt it in this case.

Another thing I have always thought. I believe Cooper had an A), B), and a C) jump site. In other words, if something bad happens, and you miss the first site, or the pilot is off course, you want to have a plan B, just in case. I think Cooper's plan B, was to jump south of Portland, where there is a ton of empty, dry land, along interstate 5 along by Wilsonville, etc.

So, I think finding the landing zone, and landing close to the vehicle would be 100 times more difficult than laundering that money.

Good points

left

LIke Camper stated, going to Vegas or the east coast gaming area and laundering at a casino is another good option. Do we really think the casino's run by the mob really were checking each twenty for the Cooper money? The further away from Portland to launder, the better for Cooper. I would love to see his passport.

 

[leftcoast]

Scandi:

For the record: We don't know where Cooper made that call from when he phoned the FBI at 10pm.

I asked "where", and since the FBI never treated him as a potential suspect, the fBI never investigated where the call was made from. So, the agent doesn't know.

So, it is possible the phone call was from somewhere close to the jumpsite, or from his house, etc.


left

 

[scandi]

Hi Left, You settled that for me about the $20 bills, as I was going by that one statement I had read.

And gees, :waitasec: , I didn't even think of using a truck as a car and putting a motorcycle in back to get back home. LOL I suppose there is no way of learning what vehicle he owned in '71.

I think when the FBI got that call at 10pm they should have been very suspicious, don't you. It is so odd, like 'Here I Am, I already know about the Hijacking that happened within the last 2 hours, but I Didn't Do It!'. I think they should have rushed right over to his home. Big Blunder. Everyone makes mistakes, but that was major. I'm sure the local FBI are aware of what you have found now, and hope at least the Portland and Seattle offices will all be standing in front of their TV sets when the broadcast spots are aired. YaYa

If the news pops up in Portland it will be on the Northwest News in Seattle, even though they are an NBC affiliate. Seattle will see this right away I think, and it will be fun to watch how it hits the national media.

Scandi

 

[leftcoast]

Hi Left, You settled that for me about the $20 bills, as I was going by that one statement I had read.

And gees, :waitasec: , I didn't even think of using a truck as a car and putting a motorcycle in back to get back home. LOL I suppose there is no way of learning what vehicle he owned in '71.

I think when the FBI got that call at 10pm they should have been very suspicious, don't you. It is so odd, like 'Here I Am, I already know about the Hijacking that happened within the last 2 hours, but I Didn't Do It!'. I think they should have rushed right over to his home. Big Blunder. Everyone makes mistakes, but that was major. I'm sure the local FBI are aware of what you have found now, and hope at least the Portland and Seattle offices will all be standing in front of their TV sets when the broadcast spots are aired. YaYa

If the news pops up in Portland it will be on the Northwest News in Seattle, even though they are an NBC affiliate. Seattle will see this right away I think, and it will be fun to watch how it hits the national media.

Scandi

Scandi:

One thing I am 100% certain of in this case, and that is there is no way in the world the treasury can state that money never made it into circulation. Even the United States Treasury admitted such. I believe he waited a few months, flew to the east coast, washed the money, and those bills would have been destroyed through normal treasury procedures by 1974.

I do know for a fact our suspect owned a station wagon in 1971. It is listed on his armed robbery report. IF I remember correctly, it was a 68 Ford Station wagon.

You are correct. The FBI agent blew it by not getting suspicious. Especially when you have someone with a guilty conscience calling in. Even if our suspect is not guilty (which I think is very unlikely), he dropped the ball, big time. Why our suspect called it on that particular day, at that time, is amazing. And to top if off, our suspect never called in after that night to suggest possible suspects and hopefully receive a 25k reward. This is also very suspicious.

I think this story will get a lot of air time. Especially when certain facts about this guy that I have not disclosed here are revealed on the show. When you hear these facts, you will not believe it. It is overwhelming!!!!!! It will make certain people look like Dudley Do Right. LOL.

left

Our suspect when asked if he could be DB Cooper:

"I'm not smart enough"