cult hero and washington's answer to bonnie and clyde.

goooooo GREEN!

My brother is one of the only people that I know who has jumped out of a 727. The same kind of aircraft that D.B. Cooper jumped from.

My brother has a plaque that says that he is D.B. Cooper number 983. Number 001 is reserved for the real D.B. Cooper ;)

Used to being on the lamb.

Gossett died in 2003 at the age of 73. His son, Greg, still lives in Ogden, where he said his father told him on his 21st birthday that he had hijacked the plane, then revealed to his son two keys to a safety deposit box at a bank in Vancouver, British Columbia, where the money was stored.

How could you even run this story.. without the answering what's in the safety deposit box?!

Used to being on the lamb.

I had no idea he was from New Zealand.

Found him!

bewildered.

/good movie. I liked it.

waiting4godot: Gossett died in 2003 at the age of 73. His son, Greg, still lives in Ogden, where he said his father told him on his 21st birthday that he had hijacked the plane, then revealed to his son two keys to a safety deposit box at a bank in Vancouver, British Columbia, where the money was stored.

How could you even run this story.. without the answering what's in the safety deposit box?!

Hello....what the hell are they thinking not running with the Vancouver box? assholes!!

It was a lot of money in 1971, but even then, $200,000 would not set you up for life. You would still need to work eventually. And even if you did pick the right stocks, you couldn't walk into a broker and plop down that kind of cash without someone getting suspicious.

i saw some documentary on this recently. they brought up a point that i hadn't heard - quite a bit of weathered cash was found along a river bed in the vicinity of the point where he jumped from the plane... i can't recall at the moment whether the serial numbers on that cash was successfully linked to the stolen cash.

but if it was, one would have to think that DBC died right as a result of the jump...

anyone?

Steve Fossett?

bingethinker: Used to being on the lamb.

I had no idea he was from New Zealand.

Swear to god I knew there was no b. Should really start using the preview button.

/and brain.

wjllope: i saw some documentary on this recently. they brought up a point that i hadn't heard - quite a bit of weathered cash was found along a river bed in the vicinity of the point where he jumped from the plane... i can't recall at the moment whether the serial numbers on that cash was successfully linked to the stolen cash.

but if it was, one would have to think that DBC died right as a result of the jump...

anyone?

The cash found WAS some of the cash he had.

wjllope: i saw some documentary on this recently. they brought up a point that i hadn't heard - quite a bit of weathered cash was found along a river bed in the vicinity of the point where he jumped from the plane... i can't recall at the moment whether the serial numbers on that cash was successfully linked to the stolen cash.

but if it was, one would have to think that DBC died right as a result of the jump...

anyone?

I don't think loose cash means anything either way.
It just means he didn't go around picking up the cash in the dark forest.

This lead was the most convincing one, IMO. Much more so than TFA anyway.

Begoggle: It just means he didn't go around picking up the cash in the dark forest.

how did it get loose? you'd think he'd have closed his knapsack carefully after going to all that trouble to get his hands on the contents...
it's strange to me...

wjllope: Begoggle: It just means he didn't go around picking up the cash in the dark forest.

how did it get loose? you'd think he'd have closed his knapsack carefully after going to all that trouble to get his hands on the contents...
it's strange to me...

Maybe he got mugged by an Ent.

bingethinker: Used to being on the lamb.

Not to worry. I laughed when I read this, wondering if it was a really clever double entendre or just an error.

Marla Singer's Laundry: Maybe he got mugged by an Ent.

or La Cosa Sasquatchosa

wjllope: Marla Singer's Laundry: Maybe he got mugged by an Ent.

or La Cosa Sasquatchosa

or Chupacabra! NO BUENO!

Didn't he die trying to break out of prison with Michael Scofield?

wjllope: i saw some documentary on this recently. they brought up a point that i hadn't heard - quite a bit of weathered cash was found along a river bed in the vicinity of the point where he jumped from the plane... i can't recall at the moment whether the serial numbers on that cash was successfully linked to the stolen cash.

but if it was, one would have to think that DBC died right as a result of the jump...

anyone?



A boy found the cash that matched the serial numbers. I believe it was only $30,000. He is an adult now and auctioning off the cash. But one has to wonder, if he did die, why his body was nowhere to be found in the vicinity of the cash? Perhaps that money fell out during the jump or while he was running?

Come on guys. If he doesn't look like Huckabee...I'll....I'll...

I'll let you decide.

What's in the box?!

Y'all ain't never gonna catch uncle D.B.

"Are you Doobie Keebler?"

/That guy looks nothing Like Jimmy James
// News Radio was one of the best shows ever IMHO

and



Well?

aladywhoknows: wjllope: i saw some documentary on this recently. they brought up a point that i hadn't heard - quite a bit of weathered cash was found along a river bed in the vicinity of the point where he jumped from the plane... i can't recall at the moment whether the serial numbers on that cash was successfully linked to the stolen cash.

but if it was, one would have to think that DBC died right as a result of the jump...

anyone?



A boy found the cash that matched the serial numbers. I believe it was only $30,000. He is an adult now and auctioning off the cash. But one has to wonder, if he did die, why his body was nowhere to be found in the vicinity of the cash? Perhaps that money fell out during the jump or while he was running?

Probably 'Cooper' died in the jump (undertaken in a heavy rainstorm- so heavy the military jets tailing the airliner did not even see him jump). The cash was found, IIRC, well outside the area authorities initially believed he had jumped from the plane. Most likely, they calculated the position and/or time of the jump incorrectly. Hence the wilderness search turned up nothing- in fact, not until several months later was a large-scale search even attempted. Every bill he stole was photgraphed for its serial number, and so they knew what money they were looking for. NONE of the money was ever spent in circulation- the only money ever found was that found near the river by the kid.

This asshole probably ended up a greasy spot the very night he pulled off this heist. The FBI has found only a couple of semi-plausible suspects, each with convincing reasons they were not the hijacker. The remainder of people who got publicity are like the guy in TFA- absolutely no evidence about them, comfortably dead when some kooky relative or other person says "he told me one time he had done it" or some such.

But did they find six other planes while they were looking for him?

I think he survived. I mean you find pieces from some of the money and no parachute? Those farkers are huge and can be found decades later in relatively good shape.

I think he parachuted. Made it down in the dark ass night. Left some pieces behind for shiats, and made off into the night with a friend.

I seriously doubt he was unassisted.

Makes it far easier for the FBI to claim he died and move on.

Marla Singer's Laundry: Found him!

Will Clark?

nuclear_asshat: I think he survived. I mean you find pieces from some of the money and no parachute? Those farkers are huge and can be found decades later in relatively good shape.

I think he parachuted. Made it down in the dark ass night. Left some pieces behind for shiats, and made off into the night with a friend.

I seriously doubt he was unassisted.

Makes it far easier for the FBI to claim he died and move on.

He could have landed, parachute and all, in one of the lakes in the area. In which case, they aren't ever gonna find him.

Stupid Utah. This was actually front page news on like 3 of our (I am from Salt Lake City) local affiliates. But the story about the guy arrested because he left his 2 year old in the car while he watched the Dark Knight at 1 A.M. wasn't greenlit. What the Fark?

Homr: Stupid Utah. This was actually front page news on like 3 of our (I am from Salt Lake City) local affiliates. But the story about the guy arrested because he left his 2 year old in the car while he watched the Dark Knight at 1 A.M. wasn't greenlit. What the Fark?

That was greenlit a long time ago, in Fark years.

As grad students, we looked for him. We hated it, good luck finding that marmot food, we thought. We found nothing. No clothes, no shoes, no chute. Nothing. He must have walked away. Stranger things have happened. I mean, look, here is a web site devoted to reposting web news.

Merry Sunshine: Marla Singer's Laundry: Found him!

Will Clark?

Huckabee, silly!

aladywhoknows:

A boy found the cash that matched the serial numbers. I believe it was only $30,000. He is an adult now and auctioning off the cash. But one has to wonder, if he did die, why his body was nowhere to be found in the vicinity of the cash? Perhaps that money fell out during the jump or while he was running?

Most likely washed downstream from wherever he splattered. The bills the kid found were in a sand bank, right where the river slows down enough for lighter objects to fall out of suspension.

Whatever is left of Cooper is either still decomposing in the woods of SW Washington someplace, parachute and all, or has washed out to sea.

/Agrees with everyone who said "open the damned safety deposit box then!"

nuclear_asshat: I think he survived. I mean you find pieces from some of the money and no parachute? Those farkers are huge and can be found decades later in relatively good shape.

I think he parachuted. Made it down in the dark ass night. Left some pieces behind for shiats, and made off into the night with a friend.

I seriously doubt he was unassisted.

Makes it far easier for the FBI to claim he died and move on.

well, this is an interesting topic for a few drinks- it's become one of my favorite recurring Fark topics- but my criticism of your position is that this is a sort of "intelligent design" and/or "JFK" theory- every fact and question mark is deemed to support the theory, even if it is otherwise inconsistent. My problems with this line of thinking are

1) what possible reason would he have for leaving ANY of the money behind on purpose after risking his life in countless ways to acquire it, while taking with him deadweight incriminating evidence such as spent chutes- "for shiats" does not count as a good reason

2) if he lived, and took any money with him, why was NONE ever spent

3) if he had assistance/a friend-- how could he have possibly hooked up with someone on the ground? He could only have had the most vague idea of where he was jumping. And what evidence is there for this anyway?

4) There is no evidence that his parachute even opened. But assume it did-- parachutes may be large but if you don't look for them in the right place you won't find them. (Witness the parachute accidentally dug up in Amboy, Wash. last March-- nobody knew it was there until it was accidentally discovered.)

Given the wretched weather, which compounded the danger inherent in what he was attempting, I just think he is vastly more likely to have died in the jump. The best-case scenario for him surviving would involve maybe an attempt to hide the money, followed by an inability to find it. But how could he ever have known really where he was to start with- and count on ever possibly finding his way back there? And what tools did he have that could secure the loot? And why WOULD he ever risk coming back-- one or two guys walking into woods they don't own after the hijacking could attract attention or even result in a collision with authorities searching for him. It's just too implausible-- if he landed alive, his best chance for survival, and for keeping all he had stolen, was to find his way out of the woods with all the money and never go back. I can't see a reason in the world to leave any of the money behind.

The only decent theory involving him living would involve the money (which I assume he tied to himself just before jumping) getting lost in the jump. But we have no idea where he landed, and so no reason to assume this.

AmericanMensan: Penis.

This

Umpteenth million? By my count it's been almost eleventy brazillion.

I heard this couple on the radio just the other day. Apparently, DB Cooper became a chick.

Seattle Times (new window)

If only he had a nickel for every time he has been found.

mama's_tasty_foods: 1) what possible reason would he have for leaving ANY of the money behind on purpose after risking his life in countless ways to acquire it, while taking with him deadweight incriminating evidence such as spent chutes- "for shiats" does not count as a good reason

2) if he lived, and took any money with him, why was NONE ever spent

3) if he had assistance/a friend-- how could he have possibly hooked up with someone on the ground? He could only have had the most vague idea of where he was jumping. And what evidence is there for this anyway?

4) There is no evidence that his parachute even opened. But assume it did-- parachutes may be large but if you don't look for them in the right place you won't find them. (Witness the parachute accidentally dug up in Amboy, Wash. last March-- nobody knew it was there until it was accidentally discovered.)

First off, when we are talking about no evidence (or lack thereof) your possibility is no more or less probably than mine.

Well, there is certainly no more evidence that he perished than that he survived. The lack of a body points that his survival is a distinct possibility in fact the lack of a body points that its in indeed more likely he survived.

1. My guess is if he made it off the plane with some money, he couldn't get out with all of it. Why only $5,000 left behind?

2. He was probably waiting for the right time. And it wouldn't take long to figure out he was on the FBI list and couldn't do anything with the numbered bills. Less than two years later they started printing serial numbers in papers.

As long as it took for them to get the money, he may have known that but still had to go through with his plan.

As for Chutes? I think he buried them. A is the most incriminating thing he could carry with him. That's my belief he didn't die. You find the money but no chute? Not the one he used, or the other two packed chutes?

3. Again, there is no more evidence that he didn't have a friend. If there is no evidence, you cannot call one possibility more likely than another.

I think the FBI has an interest at the time in saying Cooper was dead. Even though there was not one shred of evidence to point to that.

nuclear_asshat:

1) None of the bills ever entered circulation. Absolutely zero dollars of the money were ever spent.

I don't know about you, but if I went to that much trouble, I would at least have gone someplace with no extradition treaty and started living, if not "like a king," at least modestly.

If he had lived and spent none of the money, then the whole effort was wasted.

2) The lack of a recovered body in a cornfield or a grassland is good evidence that no body is present, but the lack of a recovered body in the forests of the Northwest is not good evidence of anything at all. I've walked through that area, and I swear, you can be ten feet away from a fsrking bear and not see it! In some places, the only way you'll find a body is by smell, and even then, only if you are there at the right time.

A body that ends up in a deep, isolated lake, with a parachute acting like a sea anchor, might not be found ever.

3) He didn't "leave money behind;" some of it washed down-river from where it fell. The find site was at a silt/sand bank where the river turns. At that point, the energy in the river is insufficient to keep even light particles in suspension. The bills were buried by natural sedimentation, not by deliberate internment (which would have them all clumped together in a single hole and protected by some sort of wrapping, if he intended to come back and retrieve them). Most of the rest has either rotted in the knapsack or washed somewhere else along the river or out to sea.

IMO, The best way to find him would be to analyze the bacteria on the bills and see which valleys have those bacterial colonies in them, then poke around with metal detectors in those watersheds until some of the hardware turns up.

As much as I love a good mystery, and as much as I would actually really like it if a "Robin Hood" got away with a whole bunch of loot without actually killing anyone, I am pretty certain that "D.B. Cooper" is currently a small pile of rat-gnawed bones somewhere in the Columbia drainage. Either that or he was washed out to sea.

/US$0.02

Good story, but anyone that has been to/driven around the Pacific Northwest knows that DB probably dropped out of an airplane, hit some extreme wilderness (as in walking 200 miles or more) and died.

/good try bro

//get up here if you get a chance

Trick E. Dick: bewildered.

/good movie. I liked it.

Came in for the "without a paddle" reference. Thank you!

/i liked it, too.

FloydA:
IMO, The best way to find him would be to analyze the bacteria on the bills and see which valleys have those bacterial colonies in them, then poke around with metal detectors in those watersheds until some of the hardware turns up.

/US$0.02

They've already done that, and found it was a select portion of the stream. The way the bills were "stacked" suggests it WAS buried, and my suspicion is someone (D.B., a searcher, some random guy) found the bills, knew he couldn't use them, buried a portion as a marker to locate the rest.

nobodys_goose:

They've already done that, and found it was a select portion of the stream. The way the bills were "stacked" suggests it WAS buried, and my suspicion is someone (D.B., a searcher, some random guy) found the bills, knew he couldn't use them, buried a portion as a marker to locate the rest.

Really? I'd like to hear more about this. Do you have the source handy? Thanks.