Piece of Washington’s Most Famous Unsolved Crime On Display

Much of what surrounded the events of November 24th, 1971 is no longer around.  Northwest Orient (or Northwest) Airlines filed bankruptcy in 2005 before merging with Delta in 2010.  None of the FBI agents involved in the initial investigation are still with the agency and Director J. Edgar Hoover passed away the following year. The Captain of the plane, William Scott, passed away in 2001.

The story of that day continues to live on as one of the most famous unsolved crimes in not only Washington State, but American history.  It was the day Dan Cooper, more famously known as "D.B. Cooper" hijacked the airplane, demanded $200,000 in cash (along with four parachutes), and jumped from the plane somewhere over the southwestern portion of Washington State never to be seen or heard from again.

This isn't about the man himself, the ongoing investigation (yes, it is still open), or the true identity of Cooper.  It's about your chance to see a piece of evidence recovered from the crime that continues to capture our imagination.

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What Evidence Was Recovered?

FBI agents that searched the plane came away with four pieces of physical evidence, a black clip-on tie, a gold tie-clip with a circular mother-of-pearl setting in the center, a hair from Cooper's headrest, and eight filter-tipped Raleigh cigarette butts from the armrest ashtray.

In 1980, roughly $5,800 of the ransom money was found near Vancouver, WA by an eight year old boy on vacation with his family.  Decades after the money was split between the boy and Northwest Orient's insurance company (the FBI kept 14 bills as evidence), the now adult man sold a number of his bills for a fine profit.

One Other Huge Piece of Evidence Was Found

Investigators also recovered tone reserve and one main parachute demanded by Cooper.  The reserve parachute was opened and had three shroud lines cut.  The main parachute was found intact.  That Model NB6 (Navy Backpack 6) will be on display for the public to see for the first time in over a decade.

The parachute has resided at the Washington State Historical Museum since it was give to them by the FBI Archives.  The exhibit, titled Collections Selections: A Parachute from the D.B. Cooper Investigation, will offer a rare opportunity to see one of the most requested items in the museum's collection. The parachute will be on view from September 22, 2024, through March 16, 2025.

Washington State Historical Society director Jennifer Kilmer said about the exhibit:

This exhibition will focus solely on giving the public the opportunity to see the parachute. It does not offer any theories into the crime or Cooper's identity.

For more information on the exhibit and on the museum itself, including the price of admission, just follow this link.  The Cooper case remains the only unsolved air piracy in commercial aviation history.