D.B. Cooper
In November 1971 a man calling himself Dan Cooper hijacked a jet, took $200,000 and jumped into the night. The FBI never found him. This case lists what the records show, marks the FBI’s own records as the FBI’s, and gives the main theories a fair hearing.
The question Who was D.B. Cooper, did he survive the jump, and what happened to the money?
What the records say
The documented story holds up: 11 of 14 timeline steps are Confirmed by the records (score 95).
6 theories checked: 6 unverified. A theory is rated by its key claim.
A parachute from the McCoy family’s property is taken by the FBI and later returned without a result
likelyCredible: two independent tier-2 reports. See the step
Down the rabbit hole
The ground line is the documented timeline. Each tunnel is a theory that branches off it; every chamber is a step, coloured by how well the records support it. The deepest chamber is the theory’s key claim. Tap one to open it.
Main timeline
Oldest first- 24 Nov 1971confirmed
A man calling himself Dan Cooper hijacks Northwest Orient Flight 305 from Portland to Seattle
He paid $20 cash for a one-way ticket, sat in the last row and handed a flight attendant a note saying he had a bomb, then showed her red sticks, wires and a battery in his attaché case. The name “D.B.” came from a press error that stuck.
T2HistoryLink, essay 1997T2Christian Science Monitor, 13 Jul 2016T1FBI, “D.B. Cooper Hijacking”involved party: FBIT1National Archives at Seattleinvolved party: Justice Department (US Attorney) - 24 Nov 1971confirmed
In Seattle he swaps the 36 passengers for $200,000 in $20 bills and four parachutes
The ransom was 10,000 twenty-dollar bills from Seattle First National Bank, whose serial numbers had been recorded on microfilm. The plane took off again with the crew aboard, ordered towards Mexico.
T2HistoryLink, essay 1997T2HistoryLink, essay 23059T2ABC News (Australia), Jul 2025T1FBI, “D.B. Cooper Hijacking”involved party: FBI - 24 Nov 1971confirmed
One of the four parachutes he was given was a dummy that could not open
Two back parachutes and two front reserves were rushed to the airport; one reserve, from a skydiving centre in Issaquah, was a sewn-shut training chute. The FBI says he jumped with two, including that one, and used cord from another to tie the money bag shut.
T2HistoryLink, essay 1997T2Christian Science Monitor, 13 Jul 2016T2CBS News / AP, 30 Apr 2013T1FBI story, 31 Dec 2007parachute captioninvolved party: FBISources disagreeOn who supplied the back parachutes: HistoryLink says “a local parachute rigger”, the AP (2013) says an Issaquah skydive centre that had bought them from rigger Earl Cossey, and Cowboy State Daily (2026) says Cossey and a pilot, Norman Hayden. - 24 Nov 1971confirmed
A little after 8 p.m. he jumps from the rear stairs over southwest Washington and is never seen again
The 727 was flying at about 10,000 feet and 196 mph, at night, in freezing rain and sleet. It landed in Reno with the stairs down and the cabin empty. No one has confirmed whether he survived.
T2HistoryLink, essay 1997T2HistoryLink, essay 23059T2CNN, 12 Jul 2016T1FBI, “D.B. Cooper Hijacking”involved party: FBI - 7 Apr 1972confirmed
Richard McCoy hijacks a United Airlines 727 in a similar way, parachutes over Utah and is caught
McCoy took $500,000 and four parachutes, jumped near Provo and was arrested two days later. He was convicted of air piracy in June 1972 and sentenced to 45 years; his appeal was decided in May 1973.
T2Deseret News, 21 Feb 1992T2Cowboy State Daily, 15 Dec 2024T1FBI, “Richard Floyd McCoy, Jr.”involved party: FBIT1United States v. McCoy, 10th Cir. 1973caption and date only - Nov 1976likely
A grand jury indicts “John Doe, also known as Dan Cooper”
On Thanksgiving Eve 1976, the last day before the five-year limit for prosecuting the hijacking ran out, a federal grand jury in Portland indicted the unknown hijacker, so a case could still be brought if he were ever identified.
- 10 Feb 1980confirmed
An eight-year-old boy finds $5,800 of the ransom on a Columbia River sandbar
Brian Ingram found three rotting bundles of $20 bills at Tena Bar, about 10 miles northwest of Vancouver, Washington. The FBI matched them to the ransom serial numbers: two packets of 100 bills and one of 90, in their original order.
T2HistoryLink, essay 23059T2NBC News / AP, Apr 2008T2CNN, 12 Jul 2016T1FBI, “D.B. Cooper Hijacking”involved party: FBISources disagreeThe FBI and HistoryLink give $5,800, which matches the 290 bills HistoryLink counts; an AP report (2008) and a 2026 photo caption give $5,880. - May 1986likely
A federal judge splits the found money between the FBI, the boy and the insurer
Under the proposed judgment, the FBI kept $280 as evidence, and Ingram and the airline’s insurer split the remaining $5,520. Ingram later sold 15 of his bills at auction in 2008.
- 2001 onwardconfirmed
DNA taken from the clip-on tie he left behind is a mix from several people
The tie, a JC Penney clip-on left on the plane, yielded partial DNA from three people after years of handling, so no profile can be said for certain to be the hijacker’s. His cigarette butts, a better source, were lost or thrown away.
T2HistoryLink, essay 1997T2Cowboy State Daily, 22 Feb 2026T1FBI story, 31 Dec 2007involved party: FBI - 18 Oct 2007confirmed
New York magazine names a dead Northwest Airlines purser, Kenneth Christiansen, as a suspect
The story began when his brother wrote to a New York private investigator. In December 2007 the FBI said Christiansen did not match the witnesses’ description.
T2New York magazine, 18 Oct 2007T1FBI story, 31 Dec 2007involved party: FBI - Jul 2016confirmed
After 45 years the FBI stops actively investigating
The FBI says it redirected the case’s resources on 8 July 2016 and announced it days later, saying no tip had produced a definitive identification. It still asks for any parachute or ransom money that turns up.
T2Christian Science Monitor, 13 Jul 2016T2CNN, 12 Jul 2016T1FBI Seattle, Jul 2016involved party: FBIT2HistoryLink, essay 23059 - Jan 2017confirmed
Amateur scientists say particles on the tie point to aerospace work
The Citizen Sleuths group, led by Tom Kaye, reported particles of cerium, strontium sulfide and pure titanium on the tie and suggested the wearer worked around aircraft manufacturing. The group itself notes the FBI is not sure the tie was his.
- 3 Aug 2020confirmed
A peer-reviewed study finds early-summer river algae on one of the found bills
Kaye and Meltzer found diatoms of species that bloom in May and June on a ransom bill, and concluded the money was in river water “months after the late November hijacking” before it was buried, not buried dry that night.
T1Kaye and Meltzer, Scientific Reports, 2020Abstract; Discussion - 2022 to Dec 2025likely
A parachute from the McCoy family’s property is taken by the FBI and later returned without a result
A pilot and YouTuber, Dan Gryder, found a parachute rig at a McCoy family property in North Carolina in 2022. The FBI took it for testing and returned it to McCoy’s son in December 2025, neither crediting nor discrediting it, he says.
Sources disagreeCowboy State Daily gives two dates for the handover: a photo caption says September 2023, the 2026 article says 2024.
Branches
Go down oneA branch is only as strong as its weakest step so far. The count is how many sources back each step.
“He survived and got away”
Did Cooper land safely and live out his life?
At first the FBI itself hunted a living, experienced jumper (Carr, 2007), and in 1976 it had a grand jury indict “John Doe, also known as Dan Cooper” in case he was ever identified. By 2022 the Seattle Times called survival “an article of faith among most citizen sleuths”.
- 256,333 YouTube views, “D.B. Cooper Sleuth Gives 8 Reasons Why Cooper Survived” as of 12 Oct 2026 T4YouTube: “8 Reasons Why Cooper Survived”
- 47,691 YouTube views, “The Best Evidence That D.B. Cooper Survived?” as of 12 Oct 2026 T4YouTube: “The Best Evidence That D.B. Cooper Survived?”
- 41,661 YouTube views, HISTORY bonus scene with suspect Sheridan Peterson (2016) as of 12 Oct 2026 T3YouTube: HISTORY, Peterson bonus scene
- 21,244 YouTube views, KOIN 6 “Book: Hijacker DB Cooper lived until 2014” (Walter Reca claim) as of 12 Oct 2026 T3YouTube: KOIN 6, May 2018
Men with real parachute skills have been named by people who knew them
Author Carl Laurin says his friend Walter Reca, a skilled parachutist, did it; Eric Ulis is “98%” sure it was Sheridan Peterson, a smokejumper and skydiver.
The premise: confirmedTrue that these men had jump experience, by these independent reports. None has been tied to Flight 305 by any record, and Peterson told the FBI he was in Nepal at the time.
The FBI never proved he died and closed the case without an answer
Author Bruce Smith: the FBI closed the case because amateurs were showing it up.
The premise: confirmedTrue that the FBI never established his fate: it admits no tip ever produced an identification. That gap does not show he lived.
T1FBI Seattle, Jul 2016involved party: FBIT2Christian Science Monitor, 13 Jul 2016
- confirmed
At first the FBI looked for an experienced jumper who could have survived
Carr in 2007: “We originally thought Cooper was an experienced jumper, perhaps even a paratrooper,” a view the FBI later dropped.
T1FBI story, 31 Dec 2007involved party: FBIStartStrength so far:confirmed· 1 source on this step - confirmed
Named suspects who would have survived include Walter Reca and Sheridan Peterson
In 2018 Laurin released tapes of Reca describing the hijacking. Peterson wrote in 2007 that “the FBI had good reason to suspect me”; FBI agents, who first interviewed him in 2004, took a DNA swab, and the FBI has never said what it showed.
= HoldsStrength so far:confirmed· 2 sources on this step - confirmed
The FBI admits no tip ever identified the hijacker
Its 2016 statement says tips, including stories of sudden unexplained wealth, produced no definitive identification. This counts against the FBI’s interest.
T1FBI Seattle, Jul 2016involved party: FBIT2Christian Science Monitor, 13 Jul 2016= HoldsStrength so far:confirmed· 2 sources on this step - unverified
Key claim: Cooper survived the jump and got away
No survivor has been identified by any record, and no body has been found to rule it out.
T2Seattle Times, 6 Jul 2022T1FBI Seattle, Jul 2016involved party: FBI▼ WeakerStrength so far:unverified· 2 sources on this step
Bullshit meter
- Key claim: Cooper survived the jump and got away. Unverified.
- Key claim contradicted by tier 1? No. No tier-1 record contradicts it, and none supports it: no survivor has been identified and no body found.
Fluff meter: possibly planted
- Can’t be traced to an original record. Present: no record of Cooper after the jump exists.
- First appeared from new or anonymous accounts. Absent: it is argued by named people (Laurin, Ulis, Smith) and was once the FBI’s own working view.
- Coordinated identical wording. Not measured.
- Cited source doesn’t exist. Not measured: Laurin’s tapes were reported but not heard.
- Later contradicted. Absent: no record contradicts it.
● present · ○ absent · – not measured. Lists signals only. It never accuses anyone.
Personal interest meter
- Carl Laurin, wrote the memoir “D.B. Cooper & Me”, published by Principia Media, which names his late friend Walter Reca. T2ABC7 Chicago, 18 May 2018
“Has a documented interest” only, each one sourced. Never an implication of guilt.
Correlation meter
- The clip-on tie, main steps 9 and 12: its DNA is a mix from several people, and its particles suggest aerospace work, if it was his. T2HistoryLink, essay 1997
- The 1980 Tena Bar money, main step 7, the planted branch, and the died branch’s third argument; the 2020 diatom study bears on all three. T1Kaye and Meltzer, Scientific Reports, 2020
- Larry Carr, FBI case agent 2007 to 2010, the main voice for the died branch, and the agent who says McCoy was ruled out (McCoy branch). T2Cowboy State Daily, 15 Dec 2024
- Earl Cossey, parachute rigger, his descriptions of the chutes are used both by the FBI and by the McCoy theory. T2CBS News / AP, 30 Apr 2013
- The FBI’s NORJAK file, published on the FBI Vault in numbered parts and cited by HistoryLink; not read for this case beyond its index. T1FBI Vault, D. B. Cooper fileinvolved party: FBI
Links to other cases appear once those cases exist.
Who worked on this
This case was assembled by the site from public records. Contributions are not open yet. Nothing here is invented, so the counts are zero.
This is the first published version of the case.
Sources
- T1involved party: FBI “D.B. Cooper Hijacking”, FBI History, Famous Cases and Criminals page, with the update of 12 Jul 2016. www.fbi.gov
- T1involved party: FBI “The D.B. Cooper Mystery”, FBI news story, 24 Nov 2006 (FBI archived website). archives.fbi.gov
- T1involved party: FBI “Help Us Solve the Enduring Mystery”, FBI news story, 31 Dec 2007, quoting Seattle case agent Larry Carr (FBI archived website). archives.fbi.gov
- T1involved party: FBI “In Search of D.B. Cooper: New Developments in the Unsolved Case”, FBI news story, March 2009 (FBI archived website). archives.fbi.gov
- T1involved party: FBI “Update on Investigation of 1971 Hijacking by D.B. Cooper”, press release, FBI Seattle Field Office, July 2016. www.fbi.gov
- T1involved party: FBI “Richard Floyd McCoy, Jr.”, FBI History, Famous Cases and Criminals page. www.fbi.gov
- T1involved party: FBI “D. B. Cooper”, the FBI’s NORJAK case file released in numbered parts on the FBI Vault. Only the index page was opened for this case; no part was read.. vault.fbi.gov
- T1involved party: Justice Department (US Attorney) “D.B. Cooper. U.S. Attorney’s Case File for the skyjacking case involving the alias ‘D.B. Cooper,’ dated 1971”, highlights page, National Archives at Seattle (Case CR-0451, National Archives Identifier 325594129). www.archives.gov
- T1United States v. Richard Floyd McCoy Jr., 478 F.2d 176 (10th Cir., decided 7 May 1973). Only the court record’s caption, court, date and citation were read (CourtListener search record); the opinion text was not opened.. www.courtlistener.com
- T1Colbert v. Federal Bureau of Investigation et al., No. 1:16-cv-01790 (D.D.C., filed 8 Sep 2016), docket as listed by the FOIA Project (TRAC, Syracuse University). foiaproject.org
- T1Thomas G. Kaye (Foundation for Scientific Advancement) and Mark Meltzer, “Diatoms constrain forensic burial timelines: case study with DB Cooper money”, Scientific Reports 10, 13036 (published 3 Aug 2020). www.nature.com
- T2Kathrine Beck, “Dan Cooper parachutes from skyjacked jetliner on November 24, 1971”, HistoryLink.org (the free online encyclopedia of Washington state history), essay 1997, posted 30 Aug 2011. www.historylink.org
- T2Casey McNerthney, “$5,800 of airplane hijacker D. B. Cooper’s ransom money is found near the Columbia River on February 10, 1980”, HistoryLink.org, essay 23059, posted 6 Aug 2024. www.historylink.org
- T2Max Lewontin, “D.B. Cooper: FBI closes notorious unsolved skyjacking case”, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Jul 2016. www.csmonitor.com
- T2Farida Fawzy, “D.B. Cooper: FBI closes the books”, CNN, 12 Jul 2016. edition.cnn.com
- T2Brianna Morris-Grant, “New FBI case files reveal suspects, tips and hoaxes in DB Cooper plane hijacking manhunt”, ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), 13 Jul 2025. www.abc.net.au
- T2“D.B. Cooper parachute packer ID’d as homicide victim”, CBS News (Associated Press report), 30 Apr 2013. www.cbsnews.com
- T2“Cash linked to ‘D.B. Cooper’ up for auction”, NBC News (Associated Press report), 1 Apr 2008. www.nbcnews.com
- T2“McCoy’s widow admits helping in ’72 hijacking”, Deseret News (Salt Lake City), 21 Feb 1992. www.deseret.com
- T2Jen Kocher, “Part 3: Who is D.B. Cooper? After 53 Years, Push To Solve Notorious Crime In Overdrive”, Cowboy State Daily, 15 Dec 2024. cowboystatedaily.com
- T2Jen Kocher, “Part 4: Who Is D.B. Cooper? FBI’s ‘One-In-A-Billion’ Parachute Returns”, Cowboy State Daily, 22 Feb 2026 (same outlet and author as CSD3). cowboystatedaily.com
- T2Geoffrey Gray, “Unmasking D.B. Cooper”, New York magazine, 18 Oct 2007. nymag.com
- T2Christine Clarridge, “Did D.B. Cooper work at Boeing? Citizen Sleuths point to particles found on tie”, The Seattle Times, 17 Jan 2017. www.seattletimes.com
- T2Corky Siemaszko, “Clip-On Tie Holds New Clues About Hijacker D.B. Cooper for Amateur Sleuths”, NBC News, 17 Jan 2017. www.nbcnews.com
- T2“New Netflix documentary series ‘D.B. Cooper: Where Are You?!’ reexamines an infamous folk legend”, The Seattle Times, 6 Jul 2022. www.seattletimes.com
- T2Mark Rivera, “D.B. Cooper’s identity: Author claims infamous criminal was his best friend Walter Reca”, ABC7 Chicago (WLS-TV), 18 May 2018. abc7chicago.com
- T2Douglas Perry, “‘Charming’ D.B. Cooper suspect Sheridan Peterson dies at 94, spent years dedicated to political causes”, The Spokesman-Review, 30 Jan 2021. www.spokesman.com
- T2Nick McCann, “D.B. Cooper Sleuth Sues FBI for Records”, Courthouse News Service, 12 Sep 2016 (reports the contents of Colbert’s complaint). www.courthousenews.com
- T2Amelia McDonell-Parry, “D.B. Cooper: Investigators Claim They’ve Discovered Skyjacker’s Identity”, Rolling Stone, 2 Jul 2018. www.rollingstone.com
- T2Alfred Joyner, “Was Robert Rackstraw DB Cooper? Mysterious Plane Hijacking Suspect Dead at 75”, Newsweek, 11 Jul 2019. www.newsweek.com
- T2Molli Mitchell, “Who Were the D.B. Cooper Suspects? From Rob Rackstraw to Dick Briggs”, Newsweek, 20 Jul 2022 (same outlet as NW19). www.newsweek.com
- T3Darren Rovell, “D.B. Cooper ransom money more mysterious than the escape itself”, Yahoo Sports, 11 Feb 2026. A collector’s column; commentary.. sports.yahoo.com
- T3Henry T. Casey, “This new Netflix show just soared to No. 3 in one day”, Tom’s Guide, 14 Jul 2022. www.tomsguide.com
- T3“Tena Bar Money Find”, Citizen Sleuths (Tom Kaye’s research group) website, undated. A record of the group’s own research.. www.citizensleuths.com
- T3“Rubber Band Analysis”, Citizen Sleuths website, undated. The group’s own experiment, not peer-reviewed.. www.citizensleuths.com
- T3“DB Cooper what you need to know”, Citizen Sleuths website, undated. www.citizensleuths.com
- T4Neranjan Viduranga, “D.B. Cooper, Part 05: The Money Found on the Riverbank”, The Forgotten Files (blog), 12 Jun 2026. www.theforgottenfiles.com
- T4“Fate of Hijacker D.B. Cooper and missing ransom money explantion?”, TreasureNet.com forum thread started 3 Nov 2025 (post #20 by user “ISmellGold”, 16 Nov 2025). www.treasurenet.com
- T4“D.B. Cooper Sleuth Gives 8 Reasons Why Cooper Survived”, D.B. Cooper Sleuth channel, YouTube, published 8 Sep 2026. Only the title, description and view count were read; the video was not watched.. www.youtube.com
- T4“The Best Evidence That D.B. Cooper Survived?”, D.B. Cooper Sleuth channel, YouTube, published 29 Jan 2026. Not watched.. www.youtube.com
- T3“Book: Hijacker DB Cooper lived until 2014”, KOIN 6 (Portland TV station) channel, YouTube, published 17 May 2018. Not watched.. www.youtube.com
- T3“D.B. Cooper: Case Closed? - Bonus: One of the Few Living Suspects”, HISTORY channel, YouTube, published 11 Jul 2016. The description names Sheridan Peterson. Not watched.. www.youtube.com
- T4“Did DB Cooper Survive The Jump? The Evidence Says NO”, Crime Ledger - True Crime channel, YouTube, published 19 Dec 2025. Not watched.. www.youtube.com
- T3“Investigator says parachute he uncovered proves identity of ‘D.B. Cooper’”, CNN channel, YouTube, published 28 Nov 2024. A news report on the McCoy parachute claim. Not watched.. www.youtube.com
- T3“D. B. Cooper Deep family Secrets. Part 1”, Probable Cause: Dan Gryder channel, YouTube, published 5 May 2022. The proponent’s own series. Not watched.. www.youtube.com
- T3“The Bridge Podcast - The Real D.B. Cooper Revealed: A Son’s Irrefutable Proof - Rick McCoy III”, The Bridge channel, YouTube, published 24 Nov 2024. Not watched.. www.youtube.com
- T3“The DB Cooper Case - Questioning Robert W. Rackstraw - Is this how an innocent man would act?”, The Case Breakers channel (Colbert’s team), YouTube, published 18 Jul 2016. Not watched.. www.youtube.com
- T3“D.B. Cooper, alive and well in San Diego?”, Union-Tribune Watchdog channel, YouTube, published 12 Jul 2016. Not watched.. www.youtube.com
- T4“DB Cooper: Was Kenny Christiansen really the Hijacker? Episode 153”, The Anthony RR Mills Show channel, YouTube, published 23 Nov 2022. Not watched.. www.youtube.com
- T4“DB Cooper: Money Buried on Suspect Kenny Christiansen’s Property”, Robert Blevins channel, YouTube, published 7 Aug 2018. The description reports a man’s claim that $1,400 in twenties was found on the property in 1998; not verified. Not watched.. www.youtube.com