Eric Ulis

On the afternoon of November 24, 1971, a man who called himself Dan Cooper approached the counter of Northwest Orient Airlines in Portland, Oregon. He purchased a one-way ticket using cash for Flight #305, which was headed to Seattle, Washington. This marked the beginning of a significant unsolved mystery in FBI history. Described as a quiet man in his mid-40s, Cooper wore a business suit with a black tie and white shirt. During the flight's wait to take off, he ordered a bourbon and soda. Around 3:00 p.m., he handed a note to a stewardess, indicating the presence of a bomb in his briefcase and requested her to sit with him. Complying with his demand, the stewardess opened the case, revealing wires and red sticks, and transcribed his instructions. Cooper sent a new note to the captain, demanding four parachutes and $200,000 in twenty-dollar bills. Upon landing in Seattle, he exchanged the plane's 36 passengers for the money and parachutes, retaining some crew members. The aircraft took off again, directed towards Mexico City. Somewhere between Seattle and Reno, a bit after 8:00 p.m., the hijacker executed an astonishing act: he parachuted out of the plane's rear with the ransom money. While the pilots landed safely, Cooper vanished into the night, leaving his ultimate fate shrouded in mystery. Upon learning of the incident during the flight, the FBI launched an extensive investigation referred to as NORJAK (Northwest Hijacking). The investigation spanned many years, involving interviews with numerous individuals, nationwide leads pursuit, and an examination of the aircraft for evidence. By the fifth anniversary of the hijacking, more than 800 suspects had been considered, with all but around two dozen being eliminated from consideration.