Is mysterious airplane hijacker finally unmasked?

seattle, washington, united states - Discovery of parachute brings old suspect back into focus

On November 24, 1971, a man calling himself Dan Cooper boards Northwest Airlines Flight 305 from Portland to Seattle. Shortly after takeoff, he orders a bourbon and hands a handwritten note to the flight attendant, stating that he has a bomb and demands $200,000 in ransom. He requests four parachutes upon landing in Seattle. If his demands are not met, he threatens to blow up the plane - carrying 36 passengers.

His plan unfolds successfully: upon arrival in Seattle, Washington, the man is given what he asked for. He releases the 36 passengers and two crew members, then instructs the pilot and remaining crew to fly towards Mexico City. His request for more than one parachute gives the impression that he plans to have one or more hostages jump with him. In reality, it provides Cooper assurance that the parachutes are not sabotaged.

While the plane hovers above dark Washington - at about 3.5 kilometers altitude in cold, rainy weather - Cooper makes the jump. He carries the bag of money and two parachutes with him, leaving the other two behind in the aircraft.

The American police embark on a search for Cooper or his body. Without success. In the following months and years, the FBI identifies over 800 suspects, yielding no results. Only a small portion of the ransom is recovered. Cooper's airplane hijacking - which has inspired numerous films, books, and a Netflix series (D.B. Cooper: Where are you?) - remains the only unsolved hijacking in American history. In 2016, the FBI closes the case, awaiting new evidence.

Now, new evidence has surfaced with the discovery of a parachute belonging to one Richard Floyd McCoy, reportedly used in the airplane hijacking. McCoy was a familiar name to American investigators, once even suspected of being Cooper. In April 1972, he carried out a similar hijacking, for which he was arrested a few days later. Despite initial suspicion, the FBI concluded, based on witness descriptions, that McCoy and Cooper did not sufficiently resemble each other. McCoy was imprisoned for the hijacking but managed to escape. In 1974, police officers fatally shot him at his Virginia home.

In 2020, McCoy's children contacted YouTuber and amateur detective Dan Gryder, who had been conducting his own investigation into the Cooper case for over twenty years. Convinced of their father's involvement, they awaited Gryder's input, suspecting their mother of complicity. Gryder released a two-part series in 2021 and 2022 on his YouTube channel, documenting his findings. The second part reveals the discovery of the parachute in a building on Richard Floyd McCoy's mother's estate in North Carolina.

In a recently released third installment, 'Deep FBI Update,' Gryder announces that the FBI has opened new investigation into the case based on the new clues. The bureau has contacted Gryder and McCoy's son to inspect the parachute. In September of last year, the FBI seized the parachute, along with a logbook found by McCoy's daughter dating back to the time of the hijackings.

The backpack of the parachute reportedly has modifications consistent with the descriptions provided by the individual who delivered the parachutes during the 1971 hijacking. This crucial detail adds authenticity to the evidence, according to local news outlet Cowboy State Daily, which interviewed Gryder.

While the FBI has not officially disclosed the current status of the investigation, Gryder remains optimistic. If the evidence proves futile, he believes the parachute would have been returned. Instead, the FBI thoroughly examined the parachute's discovery site.