By: Shane Lambert
The D.B. Cooper plane hijacking is a legendary unsolved mystery. The name is a false one given to a man who hijacked a plane in late November 1971. To this day, his identity remains unknown, and the debate regarding who he was has been alive for years.
In this article, I am changing perspectives a little. I'm not looking to find out what D.B. Cooper's real name was. Instead, I want to review what I think happened to Cooper on the night of the hijacking.
On this matter, I think one theory stands out as both simple and plausible: Cooper parachuted into the Columbia River or a tributary and met his end there. This is a previously supported theory, including with FBI agents.
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| The FBI artist rendering of the so-called D.B. Cooper |
Review of the Events of November 24th, 1971: D.B. Cooper Hijacks a Plane
On November 24th, 1971, a man calling himself "Dan Cooper" boarded Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305. This flight was bound from Portland, Oregon, to Seattle, Washington, making it a short flight. Middle-aged, clad in a suit, and carrying a briefcase, he seemed like an ordinary airline customer. He stayed that way until he passed a note to a flight attendant claiming that he had a bomb.
At this point, Cooper demanded $200,000 in cash (worth about $1.5 million in 2025's terms). He also had an odd request: four parachutes in addition to the money.
Polite yet firm, Cooper showed wires and a battery which may only ostensibly have been connected to a bomb. But the crew took a "better safe than sorry" approach, and the plane landed in Seattle. At this point, the FBI delivered the ransom in 20-dollar bills. Importantly, these bills were serial-numbered. The FBI also included the parachutes, and Cooper released the 36 passengers but retained the crew on board.
He then directed the pilots to fly toward Mexico City, below 10,000 feet, with landing gear down and flaps at 15 degrees. Between 8:00 and 8:13 p.m., over southwestern Washington’s rugged terrain, Cooper lowered the rear airstair and leapt into the stormy night, the money tied to his waist. The crew felt a jolt but didn’t see him go. He vanished into that night and has not been seen since.
The Search for the Hijacker Failed
The FBI’s NORJAK investigation scoured the Pacific Northwest, but they found nothing in the immediate aftermath of the hijacking. It wasn't until 1980 that a lead developed when $5,800 of the cash surfaced on the Columbia River’s Tena Bar. This money was unearthed by a boy.
Despite 1,000+ suspects, Cooper’s fate remains unknown. Maybe you could say that his fate remains unknown because there were 1000+ suspects. The FBI having that many 'leads' to go through can only obfuscate matters. This unsolved U.S. skyjacking, regarding a man misnamed "D.B. Cooper," continues to captivate. It is the only American hijacking that remains unsolved.
Timeline of Key Events in the D.B. Cooper Hijacking
| Date | Time (PT) | Event |
|---|---|---|
| November 24, 1971 | 2:50 p.m. | Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305 departs Portland International Airport (PDX) for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SeaTac), with "Dan Cooper" on board. |
| November 24, 1971 | ~3:00 p.m. | Cooper passes a note to a flight attendant claiming he has a bomb, beginning the hijacking. |
| November 24, 1971 | ~3:20 p.m. | Flight 305 lands in Seattle. Cooper demands $200,000, four parachutes, and releases the 36 passengers after receiving the ransom and parachutes, keeping the crew on board. |
| November 24, 1971 | 7:36 p.m. | Flight 305 takes off from Seattle, heading toward Reno, Nevada, as part of Cooper’s demand to fly to Mexico City, with specific flight instructions (below 10,000 feet, landing gear down, flaps at 15 degrees). |
| November 24, 1971 | 8:00–8:13 p.m. | Cooper jumps from the rear airstair of the Boeing 727 over southwestern Washington, near the Lewis River, with the money tied to his waist. The crew feels a pressure bump at 8:13 p.m., marking his likely exit. |
| February 10, 1980 | Daytime | 8-year-old Brian Ingram discovers $5,800 of Cooper’s ransom money buried at Tena Bar on the Columbia River’s north bank near Vancouver, Washington, the only physical evidence ever recovered. |
The Columbia River: Features and Characteristics
I've hiked near the Columbia River at a couple of different spots, Invermere and Revelstoke. This river is one of North America’s mightiest waterways. Stretching over 1,200 miles from its source to the Pacific Ocean, it’s the largest river flowing directly into the Pacific from the western hemisphere, keeping in mind that the Fraser River, though bigger, empties into the Salish Sea.
The Columbia River's exact source is Columbia Lake, at 2,690 feet above sea level, in the Columbia Valley near Invermere, British Columbia. This is a serene and marshy area nestled between the Rocky and Purcell Mountains.
From there, it flows northwest through British Columbia, passing Revelstoke, BC. It later flows south and west through Washington and Oregon, draining a 258,000-square-mile basin. In the area near Cooper’s jump point, in southwestern Washington, the Columbia River is wide, deep, and fast-moving. The river, which terminates at the Pacific Ocean near Astoria, has depths reaching up to 124 feet and currents that can sweep objects far downstream. Its cold waters, fed by snowmelt and rain, carry a massive volume, averaging 265,000 cubic feet per second. The river’s bed is a tangle of sediment, logs, and rocks.
In late November, when Cooper jumped, the Columbia would have been a formidable force. Swollen by autumn rains and early snowmelt, its flow surges and was about 308,000 cubic feet per second in the region near the suspected drop zone (yes, I looked: https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?site_no=14105700).
Water temperatures drop to around 40°F (4-5°C), and that would pose an immediate hypothermia risk to anyone submerged. The river’s surface can be choppy, whipped by seasonal storms and winds gusting through the rugged terrain. On November 24th, 1971, a storm battered the area, amplifying the river’s power and darkness, making survival unlikely for an unprepared parachutist landing in its grasp.
Source consulted for this section: Northwest Power and Conservation CouncilDive into Mysteries with the Ultimate Kindle!
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Cooper's Likely Drop Zone: Map Coordinates of Relevant Places
While Flight 305 started its journey from Portland to Seattle, that leg is now backstory. Cooper’s real move came after the plane took off from Seattle at 7:36 p.m. (all times PT), heading toward Reno, Nevada, as part of his broader demand to reach Mexico City.
He jumped during this Seattle-to-Reno leg, between 8:00 and 8:13 p.m., over southwestern Washington. Though he instructed the crew to fly to Mexico City, Reno was the immediate refueling stop, making it the relevant destination for pinpointing his exit.
The table below maps this critical leg, alongside key related locations, with coordinates linking to Google Maps for a visual of where his fate likely unfolded. The coordinates are not necessarily exact, but will give readers a good indicator of the relevant areas.
| Location | Description | Google Maps Coordinates |
|---|---|---|
| Plane Originated | Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SeaTac), Seattle, WA - Departed for Reno | 47.4502°N, 122.3088°W |
| Plane Destination | Reno-Tahoe International Airport, Reno, NV - Where the plane was headed from Seattle | 39.4991°N, 119.7681°W |
| Tena Bar | Columbia River shore near Vancouver, WA - Where $5,800 of ransom was found | 45.7180°N, 122.7580°W |
| Estimated Drop Zone | Near Lewis River, southeast of Ariel, WA - Likely spot of Cooper’s jump | 45.9667°N, 122.3167°W |
The drop zone’s coordinates must be treated as broad rather than precise due to the plane’s speed and the 13-minute jump window. There are all kinds of factors, like wind and the weight of the plane, that could affect the vessel's trajectory. Notably, the plane was empty of passengers, carrying only Cooper and the crew after the 36 passengers were released in Seattle. This lighter load could have allowed the plane to fly faster than typical Seattle-to-Reno routes, which often carry full passenger loads and luggage.
A lighter aircraft reduces drag and fuel burn, potentially increasing speed beyond known averages. The variable speed, combined with the jump window and wind, makes the drop zone a broad estimate. While the other Google Maps coordinates are for exact spots, the drop zone is nowhere near exact.
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Tena Bar: The Place Where the Money Was Found in 1980
Tena Bar, where $5,800 of Cooper’s ransom money was found in 1980, is a sandy stretch on the Columbia River’s north bank near Vancouver, Washington, roughly 20 miles southwest of the estimated drop zone. On February 10th, 1980, 8-year-old Brian Ingram discovered the weathered $20 bills while digging at Tena Bar during a family camping trip. This was reported by The Oregonian and confirmed in a 2008 interview with Ingram.
Readers should recall at this point that the FBI documented the serial numbers of the ransom money. The FBI’s NORJAK investigation verified that the serial numbers matched Cooper’s ransom, documenting the find in their public vault (vault.fbi.gov), often misspelling the site as “Tina Bar.”
The location, near the Fazio Brothers sand operation, was mapped at approximately 45.7180°N, 122.7580°W. In 2011, the Citizen Sleuths team, led by geologist Tom Kaye, analyzed the money’s condition and sediment at Tena Bar, confirming the site via GPS (citizensleuths.com). Their findings suggested the bills were deposited naturally by the river, supporting the theory that Cooper’s remains and money drifted downstream from the Lewis River area to the Columbia, where Tena Bar captured a small fraction of the loot.
If Cooper Went in the River, He Could be There a Very Long Time
How did the money get into the river? One way it could happen is if Cooper parachuted into the river himself with the money affixed to his waist.
After he drowns, currents would rip the money away from his body for sure. River currents and ocean currents will dismember a body if given the time. The river current would weaken whatever bonds Cooper used to secure the money, without any problem.
Conversely, the money could have fallen off Cooper as he parachuted. But here is why I treat this as a lesser scenario.
Firstly, if Cooper's losing his money, then that can only be taken to mean he is under duress. There's no way a ransomer lets his haul go unless it's absolutely necessary. This suggests a problematic parachute jump. If he didn't land in water, then you would think he would have been found in the land terrain, given the scale of the search and how much time has passed since November 1971.
But I think Cooper would have affixed the money to his waist incredibly securely before jumping. It's just something he is not going to be frivolous about: where the money goes, Cooper goes.
For me, the location of the money in the Columbia River means Cooper landed there with it, or he landed in a tributary. I would say that he was more likely to land in the Columbia just because of its size. Thus, my top guess as to Cooper's fate is simply that he parachuted into the river, upstream where the money was found.
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| How AI thinks it happened. 😂 |
People Lost in Rivers Can Stay Lost for Ages
There are a lot of missing people cases where someone known to have fallen into a river has stayed lost for decades and decades. Whatever rivers do to people who drown in them, they hide the remains well.
Remember that the money that D.B. Cooper lost was only found by the random digging of a child. It was not sticking out of the sand in an obvious way. Accordingly, it would not be surprising if D.B. Cooper is buried under river sediment and maybe even under water.
He could effectively be lost for all time or only likely to be found through a random event. That is especially the case since his case was deprioritized by the FBI in July 2016.
I think those looking for a satisfying answer to the mystery of what happened to him that night will simply have to take satisfaction in probabilities. If you accept that there's no way a ransomer is going to part with his money easily, then I think the balance of probabilities supports that Cooper's fate is tied to the same river or river network that the money was found in. He probably drowned because the money tied to his waist was found on the shores of a river.
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