1 00:00:03,208 --> 00:00:08,375 Tonight, the only unsolved skyjacking case in history. 2 00:00:08,500 --> 00:00:10,000 WALTER CRONKITE: Today, after hijacking 3 00:00:10,083 --> 00:00:11,750 a Northwest Airlines jet, 4 00:00:11,875 --> 00:00:15,375 the description on one wire service, "master criminal." 5 00:00:16,417 --> 00:00:18,292 The perpetrator leaps from a moving plane 6 00:00:18,375 --> 00:00:22,833 with $200,000 cash and is never seen again. 7 00:00:22,917 --> 00:00:24,042 JOHN TEFFT: There's a lot of variables. 8 00:00:24,167 --> 00:00:25,667 When did he jump out of the plane? 9 00:00:25,750 --> 00:00:27,833 How long did he wait before he pulled the ripcord? 10 00:00:27,958 --> 00:00:29,625 What was the wind speed? 11 00:00:29,708 --> 00:00:32,542 People don't just disappear. He has to have gone somewhere. 12 00:00:34,042 --> 00:00:36,792 Now, we explore the top theories 13 00:00:36,917 --> 00:00:39,583 behind the world's most elusive hijacker. 14 00:00:39,708 --> 00:00:42,750 Investigators are looking at a former cocaine dealer. 15 00:00:42,875 --> 00:00:44,417 TRACY WALDER: He's an ex-paratrooper, 16 00:00:44,542 --> 00:00:46,625 looks a lot like the D.B. Cooper sketch. 17 00:00:46,708 --> 00:00:49,167 DREW BEESON: There are millions of Caucasian men with dark hair, 18 00:00:49,292 --> 00:00:51,208 but there's only a few hundred thousand 19 00:00:51,375 --> 00:00:53,417 that would have worked in that kind of environment. 20 00:00:53,542 --> 00:00:57,250 Can new evidence finally reveal his true identity? 21 00:00:57,375 --> 00:01:00,667 This is a better lead than they could have ever anticipated. 22 00:01:02,375 --> 00:01:07,000 Who is D.B. Cooper, and will he ever be caught? 23 00:01:07,083 --> 00:01:09,542 [music] 24 00:01:23,583 --> 00:01:27,208 November 24th, 1971, 25 00:01:27,333 --> 00:01:29,625 Portland International Airport. 26 00:01:29,708 --> 00:01:33,500 A man named Dan Cooper boards Northwest Orient Airlines 27 00:01:33,625 --> 00:01:35,958 Flight 305 to Seattle. 28 00:01:36,083 --> 00:01:38,208 JOHN: The flight crew and the passengers 29 00:01:38,333 --> 00:01:40,500 describe him as an unremarkable guy. 30 00:01:40,625 --> 00:01:41,917 He's a Caucasian male, 31 00:01:42,042 --> 00:01:43,292 he's got on a dark suit, 32 00:01:43,375 --> 00:01:45,833 black tie, carrying a briefcase. 33 00:01:45,958 --> 00:01:48,083 DARREN SCHAEFER: He's one of the last to board the plane, 34 00:01:48,208 --> 00:01:50,667 sits in the last row in 18E. 35 00:01:50,750 --> 00:01:52,167 He orders a bourbon and soda 36 00:01:52,292 --> 00:01:54,333 and dons a pair of sunglasses. 37 00:01:54,417 --> 00:01:57,958 LAURENCE: The plane takes off at 2:50 p.m. 38 00:01:58,083 --> 00:01:59,583 DREW: The flight from Portland to Seattle 39 00:01:59,708 --> 00:02:02,167 is a milk run flown several times a day. 40 00:02:02,333 --> 00:02:04,042 It's about an hour in the air. 41 00:02:04,208 --> 00:02:05,500 This time around, the plane's 42 00:02:05,667 --> 00:02:06,750 carrying 36 passengers 43 00:02:06,875 --> 00:02:08,042 and six crew members. 44 00:02:08,167 --> 00:02:09,833 JOHN: Everything's going to plan, 45 00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:12,500 everything's on schedule, until the man 46 00:02:12,625 --> 00:02:15,250 seated in the last row, Cooper, hands a note 47 00:02:15,375 --> 00:02:17,625 to the flight attendant, Florence Schaffner. 48 00:02:17,750 --> 00:02:19,833 She doesn't read it at first, she puts it in her pocket. 49 00:02:19,958 --> 00:02:23,208 And then Cooper says to her, "You might wanna read that." 50 00:02:23,375 --> 00:02:25,542 DARREN: The note says "I have a bomb 51 00:02:25,667 --> 00:02:27,333 and I'd like you to sit next to me." 52 00:02:27,458 --> 00:02:31,083 Florence Schaffner understandably sort of loses it, 53 00:02:31,208 --> 00:02:34,000 but she does comply and follows his instructions. 54 00:02:34,125 --> 00:02:36,333 LAURENCE: Cooper opens his briefcase 55 00:02:36,500 --> 00:02:39,208 revealing a makeshift bomb. 56 00:02:39,375 --> 00:02:40,458 Schaffner describes the contents 57 00:02:40,542 --> 00:02:41,333 of the briefcase 58 00:02:41,500 --> 00:02:42,667 as something that looks like 59 00:02:42,750 --> 00:02:44,083 eight sticks of dynamite, 60 00:02:44,208 --> 00:02:46,333 a battery, and a bunch of wires. 61 00:02:46,458 --> 00:02:49,583 DREW: Cooper has her attention. She knows he's serious. 62 00:02:49,708 --> 00:02:53,167 He demands four parachutes and a ransom of $200,000 63 00:02:53,292 --> 00:02:55,208 when the plane lands in Seattle. 64 00:02:55,375 --> 00:02:57,833 LAURENCE: Schaffner relays the hijacker's commands 65 00:02:57,917 --> 00:03:00,000 to Captain William Scott. 66 00:03:00,125 --> 00:03:02,375 But since it's such a short flight, 67 00:03:02,542 --> 00:03:05,458 ground forces need more time to react. 68 00:03:05,542 --> 00:03:07,167 So, air traffic control keeps the plane 69 00:03:07,250 --> 00:03:08,833 circling around for two hours 70 00:03:08,958 --> 00:03:11,083 until they can gather the money and the parachutes. 71 00:03:11,208 --> 00:03:14,500 JOHN: Investigators write down the serial number of every bill 72 00:03:14,625 --> 00:03:17,292 and then bundle it up into a bank bag. 73 00:03:17,375 --> 00:03:22,000 LAURENCE: The plane finally lands in Seattle at 5:46 p.m. 74 00:03:22,167 --> 00:03:23,750 JOHN: Captain Scott parks the plane 75 00:03:23,875 --> 00:03:25,333 away from the buildings. 76 00:03:25,417 --> 00:03:27,167 Cooper sends out a different flight attendant, 77 00:03:27,292 --> 00:03:29,542 Tina Mucklow, and she goes out 78 00:03:29,708 --> 00:03:31,625 and interacts with the authorities. 79 00:03:31,708 --> 00:03:34,292 There, she collects the money and the parachutes, 80 00:03:34,375 --> 00:03:36,208 and returns to the plane. 81 00:03:36,333 --> 00:03:39,000 She also brings printed instructions 82 00:03:39,167 --> 00:03:40,667 on how to use the parachutes, 83 00:03:40,792 --> 00:03:43,208 but Cooper tells her he does not need them. 84 00:03:43,375 --> 00:03:46,167 DREW: Cooper agrees to let the passengers off the plane. 85 00:03:46,250 --> 00:03:47,875 Two flight attendants, Florence Schaffner 86 00:03:48,042 --> 00:03:49,833 and Alice Hancock, also ask to leave, 87 00:03:49,958 --> 00:03:51,417 and Cooper allows them to. 88 00:03:51,542 --> 00:03:53,333 LAURENCE: But the ordeal isn't over 89 00:03:53,500 --> 00:03:55,417 for the rest of the crew. 90 00:03:55,542 --> 00:03:58,208 JOHN: Cooper wants the 727 to take off again 91 00:03:58,333 --> 00:04:00,792 and start to head towards Mexico City. 92 00:04:00,875 --> 00:04:02,917 He's going to keep the four remaining crew members 93 00:04:03,042 --> 00:04:04,125 as hostages-- 94 00:04:04,250 --> 00:04:06,458 the flight attendant, the flight engineer, 95 00:04:06,542 --> 00:04:09,000 the first officer, and the captain. 96 00:04:09,125 --> 00:04:10,958 LAURENCE: For this second flight, 97 00:04:11,083 --> 00:04:12,750 Cooper makes more demands. 98 00:04:14,250 --> 00:04:15,875 TED YESHION: Cooper wants the pilots to fly 99 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:18,292 with the wing flaps in an unusual configuration-- 100 00:04:18,417 --> 00:04:19,833 a downward position. 101 00:04:19,917 --> 00:04:21,167 Now, that's how a plane 102 00:04:21,333 --> 00:04:22,667 normally takes off, but then 103 00:04:22,792 --> 00:04:23,958 they raise the flaps. 104 00:04:24,083 --> 00:04:25,292 You wouldn't fly a long haul 105 00:04:25,375 --> 00:04:27,167 with the flaps down, because it creates 106 00:04:27,333 --> 00:04:30,000 enormous drag and means it can't go very fast, 107 00:04:30,125 --> 00:04:32,000 something like 200 miles per hour. 108 00:04:33,208 --> 00:04:36,167 JOHN: Cooper also asks that they keep the landing gear down 109 00:04:36,250 --> 00:04:38,542 and fly below 10,000 feet. 110 00:04:38,708 --> 00:04:42,292 He wants them to be going super slow and super low. 111 00:04:42,375 --> 00:04:44,750 TED: The pilots tell Cooper it can't be done. 112 00:04:44,875 --> 00:04:47,500 They're afraid the plane might just fall out of the sky. 113 00:04:47,667 --> 00:04:50,667 But the hijacker is adamant that it will work, 114 00:04:50,833 --> 00:04:52,000 and they need to comply. 115 00:04:53,333 --> 00:04:55,333 LAURENCE: At 7:40 p.m., the plane takes off 116 00:04:55,417 --> 00:04:57,000 for Mexico City. 117 00:04:57,125 --> 00:04:59,542 But 20 minutes into the flight, 118 00:04:59,667 --> 00:05:02,500 Cooper does something completely unexpected. 119 00:05:04,208 --> 00:05:06,625 DREW: He lowers the plane's rear airstair. 120 00:05:06,708 --> 00:05:09,333 The 727 has a set of stairs that can be lowered 121 00:05:09,500 --> 00:05:10,875 out of the back of the airplane. 122 00:05:11,000 --> 00:05:13,583 The pilot gets a warning light when this happens. 123 00:05:13,708 --> 00:05:15,583 Once Cooper lowers the aft stairs 124 00:05:15,708 --> 00:05:18,458 around 8:00 p.m., he puts on his parachute, 125 00:05:18,583 --> 00:05:21,417 grabs his $200,000, and jumps out. 126 00:05:22,458 --> 00:05:25,000 LAURENCE: The hijacker is never seen again. 127 00:05:26,583 --> 00:05:30,667 JOHN: At 11:02 p.m., the pilot safely lands the plane in Reno. 128 00:05:30,833 --> 00:05:33,500 At this point, the flight crew has stayed in the cockpit, 129 00:05:33,625 --> 00:05:36,083 and they're not sure if Cooper's still in the plane or not. 130 00:05:36,208 --> 00:05:37,875 But when the FBI searches the plane, 131 00:05:38,042 --> 00:05:39,583 Cooper is definitely gone. 132 00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:44,042 LAURENCE: Almost immediately, the story spreads like wildfire. 133 00:05:44,208 --> 00:05:46,500 REPORTER: D.B. Cooper bailed out of a Northwest Airlines jet 134 00:05:46,625 --> 00:05:49,375 going 200 miles an hour at about 10,000 feet. 135 00:05:49,500 --> 00:05:50,833 The best guess is he jumped 136 00:05:50,917 --> 00:05:52,667 almost exactly over La Center, Washington. 137 00:05:54,500 --> 00:05:56,917 LAURENCE: The FBI takes the lead on the case, 138 00:05:57,042 --> 00:05:59,333 with assistance from sheriffs and state troopers 139 00:05:59,500 --> 00:06:02,042 in Washington, Oregon, and Nevada. 140 00:06:02,208 --> 00:06:03,958 They have very little to go on. 141 00:06:04,083 --> 00:06:07,333 This guy has committed an incredibly well-planned crime. 142 00:06:07,500 --> 00:06:10,083 LAURENCE: Authorities need to begin somewhere. 143 00:06:10,208 --> 00:06:12,500 They start with his name. 144 00:06:12,625 --> 00:06:15,542 They know he bought a ticket under the name Dan Cooper. 145 00:06:15,708 --> 00:06:18,042 JOHN: The FBI doesn't really suspect that's his real name, 146 00:06:18,208 --> 00:06:20,375 but criminals often choose an alias 147 00:06:20,542 --> 00:06:22,000 that's very close to their real name. 148 00:06:22,125 --> 00:06:24,708 TED: So, they run this idea by the Portland police, 149 00:06:24,833 --> 00:06:27,333 and as luck would have it, they know of a petty criminal 150 00:06:27,458 --> 00:06:29,417 who goes by D.B. Cooper. 151 00:06:32,750 --> 00:06:35,042 LAURENCE: D.B. Cooper lives about an hour and a half 152 00:06:35,208 --> 00:06:37,750 from Portland, in The Dalles, Oregon. 153 00:06:37,875 --> 00:06:39,792 TED: And he's got a minor record, 154 00:06:39,917 --> 00:06:41,667 so police have him in the system. 155 00:06:41,792 --> 00:06:43,292 DREW: It's a long shot, but they know 156 00:06:43,417 --> 00:06:44,542 they have to start somewhere. 157 00:06:44,667 --> 00:06:46,667 And they're hopeful they can nab him on his way home 158 00:06:46,792 --> 00:06:49,125 with $200,000 of stolen money. 159 00:06:49,250 --> 00:06:52,042 TED: A police officer drives to D.B. Cooper's house 160 00:06:52,208 --> 00:06:54,375 on the night of the hijacking, planning to stake it out 161 00:06:54,542 --> 00:06:57,292 until Cooper comes home, and catch him red-handed. 162 00:06:57,417 --> 00:06:59,375 LAURENCE: But as soon as the officer arrives, 163 00:06:59,500 --> 00:07:02,292 he sees Cooper's already home. 164 00:07:02,375 --> 00:07:04,667 DARREN: It seems unreasonable that D.B. Cooper 165 00:07:04,792 --> 00:07:06,583 would have committed the skyjacking, 166 00:07:06,708 --> 00:07:08,833 jumped out of the plane, and made it back home 167 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:11,500 to his house in The Dalles that night. 168 00:07:11,625 --> 00:07:15,500 TED: The timeline doesn't fit in any way, shape, or form. 169 00:07:15,583 --> 00:07:17,625 So, despite having a similar name 170 00:07:17,750 --> 00:07:20,875 and a criminal record, D.B. Cooper is quickly ruled out 171 00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:22,750 as the hijacker. 172 00:07:22,875 --> 00:07:25,333 LAURENCE: Police may be done with D.B. Cooper as a suspect, 173 00:07:25,417 --> 00:07:28,167 but history isn't done with his name, 174 00:07:28,292 --> 00:07:30,292 thanks to an innocent error. 175 00:07:30,375 --> 00:07:32,333 TRACY: A reporter named James Long 176 00:07:32,500 --> 00:07:34,500 for the Oregon Journal is covering this story. 177 00:07:34,583 --> 00:07:35,708 In all this chaos, 178 00:07:35,875 --> 00:07:37,125 no one knows what's happening, 179 00:07:37,208 --> 00:07:38,792 and Long makes a mistake. 180 00:07:38,917 --> 00:07:41,125 JOHN: The hijacker actually identified himself 181 00:07:41,208 --> 00:07:44,625 as Dan Cooper, but Long puts the hijacker's name out 182 00:07:44,750 --> 00:07:47,125 as D.B. Cooper, and it's immediately picked up 183 00:07:47,208 --> 00:07:49,000 by all the wire services. 184 00:07:49,125 --> 00:07:51,500 TRACY: And just like that, D.B. Cooper becomes the name 185 00:07:51,625 --> 00:07:53,167 on everyone's lips. 186 00:07:53,292 --> 00:07:54,917 LAURENCE: From that moment on, 187 00:07:55,042 --> 00:07:58,792 the case is known as the D.B. Cooper mystery. 188 00:08:00,167 --> 00:08:02,667 Meanwhile, at Reno Airport, 189 00:08:02,792 --> 00:08:05,667 authorities race to gather evidence on the plane. 190 00:08:05,750 --> 00:08:07,792 TED: Inside the plane, FBI agents 191 00:08:07,875 --> 00:08:11,500 find 66 latent fingerprints, but can't identify any of them. 192 00:08:11,667 --> 00:08:14,833 They also find Cooper's black clip-on tie and tie clip, 193 00:08:14,958 --> 00:08:17,417 some cigarette butts, and two of the four parachutes. 194 00:08:17,542 --> 00:08:19,500 That's it. That's all they have. 195 00:08:19,583 --> 00:08:22,833 TRACY: In 1971, we don't have fingerprint databases 196 00:08:22,917 --> 00:08:24,292 like we do today. 197 00:08:24,375 --> 00:08:26,917 We also don't have DNA at this time. 198 00:08:27,042 --> 00:08:29,542 JOHN: The tie clip and the tie are pretty unremarkable, 199 00:08:29,667 --> 00:08:31,500 so they're gonna be hard to trace. 200 00:08:31,583 --> 00:08:33,167 There's nothing on the plane that immediately tells us 201 00:08:33,292 --> 00:08:34,875 who the hijacker is. 202 00:08:36,250 --> 00:08:39,000 LAURENCE: With little to go on, a large-scale manhunt begins. 203 00:08:39,083 --> 00:08:41,833 TRACY: The FBI knows that he jumped out of the plane 204 00:08:41,917 --> 00:08:44,250 somewhere between Seattle and Reno, 205 00:08:44,375 --> 00:08:46,708 and now they need to know where to look. 206 00:08:46,833 --> 00:08:48,667 But it's hard to determine Cooper's landing zone 207 00:08:48,833 --> 00:08:51,167 because they don't know exactly when and where he jumped. 208 00:08:51,292 --> 00:08:53,500 There's so many variables involved. 209 00:08:53,625 --> 00:08:55,167 What was the wind speed? 210 00:08:55,333 --> 00:08:56,500 When did he pull the ripcord? 211 00:08:56,625 --> 00:08:59,667 When and where was the plane exactly when he jumped? 212 00:08:59,750 --> 00:09:01,500 TED: It's next to impossible to establish 213 00:09:01,625 --> 00:09:02,917 an accurate search area, 214 00:09:03,042 --> 00:09:04,750 but they start with a massive section 215 00:09:04,875 --> 00:09:07,292 of really thick forest north of Portland. 216 00:09:07,417 --> 00:09:08,500 JOHN: This is a huge deal. 217 00:09:08,625 --> 00:09:12,167 The Air Force actually loans them an SR-71 Blackbird 218 00:09:12,292 --> 00:09:14,750 to help them photograph the entire flight area 219 00:09:14,875 --> 00:09:16,917 in hopes of developing a clue. 220 00:09:18,458 --> 00:09:19,833 LAURENCE: Though the Blackbird retraces 221 00:09:20,000 --> 00:09:22,375 the hijacked plane's flight path five times, 222 00:09:22,500 --> 00:09:24,750 their search turns up empty. 223 00:09:24,875 --> 00:09:27,208 DREW: The Oregon National Guard brings out helicopters 224 00:09:27,375 --> 00:09:28,542 to search for Cooper. 225 00:09:28,667 --> 00:09:30,917 They find some plastic and broken tree limbs, 226 00:09:31,042 --> 00:09:33,333 but it turns out it has nothing to do with the crime. 227 00:09:33,458 --> 00:09:36,083 JOHN: And then, 200 U.S. Army soldiers 228 00:09:36,208 --> 00:09:38,000 search the forest on foot. 229 00:09:38,167 --> 00:09:41,000 DARREN: There's also a private salvage company 230 00:09:41,125 --> 00:09:43,833 that searched Lake Merwin with a submarine 231 00:09:43,958 --> 00:09:46,125 looking for evidence of Cooper at the bottom of the lake. 232 00:09:46,250 --> 00:09:47,792 They don't find anything. 233 00:09:49,667 --> 00:09:50,833 LAURENCE: Despite all this effort, 234 00:09:50,958 --> 00:09:53,583 no trace of Cooper is found. 235 00:09:53,708 --> 00:09:55,042 DAVE: People don't just disappear. 236 00:09:55,167 --> 00:09:56,875 He has to be somewhere. 237 00:09:57,042 --> 00:09:58,667 The FBI wants to get his face out to the public, 238 00:09:58,750 --> 00:10:00,750 hoping someone has seen him. 239 00:10:00,875 --> 00:10:02,958 LAURENCE: With no actual photo to go on, 240 00:10:03,042 --> 00:10:06,292 the FBI enlists the help of a sketch artist. 241 00:10:06,375 --> 00:10:09,167 TED: They talk to people who were at the Portland airport 242 00:10:09,250 --> 00:10:10,833 who saw him buy his ticket, 243 00:10:10,958 --> 00:10:13,292 and people who were on the airplane. 244 00:10:13,375 --> 00:10:15,000 Both sets of witnesses give 245 00:10:15,167 --> 00:10:17,917 a near identical description of the man. 246 00:10:18,042 --> 00:10:20,500 TRACY: He's a Caucasian man in his mid-40s 247 00:10:20,625 --> 00:10:22,833 with a somewhat dark olive complexion. 248 00:10:22,958 --> 00:10:25,833 He has a receding hairline, short dark hair, 249 00:10:25,958 --> 00:10:28,667 and is wearing a dark suit and sunglasses. 250 00:10:28,792 --> 00:10:31,125 JOHN: This sketch, which has become world-famous, 251 00:10:31,208 --> 00:10:33,292 comes out about a week after the hijacking 252 00:10:33,375 --> 00:10:36,500 on November 28th, 1971. 253 00:10:36,625 --> 00:10:38,750 It generates hundreds, if not thousands of tips. 254 00:10:38,875 --> 00:10:42,125 LAURENCE: Tips that will soon break the Cooper case wide open. 255 00:10:46,792 --> 00:10:49,000 LAURENCE: When the FBI releases a sketch 256 00:10:49,125 --> 00:10:53,833 of the unidentified hijacker known as D.B. Cooper in 1971, 257 00:10:53,917 --> 00:10:57,167 a flood of names begins to pour in. 258 00:10:57,292 --> 00:10:59,917 On April 8th, 1972, 259 00:11:00,042 --> 00:11:03,167 one in particular grabs their attention. 260 00:11:03,292 --> 00:11:06,167 A concerned citizen called the FBI tipline. 261 00:11:06,292 --> 00:11:08,500 He said that him and his friend were talking over a beer, 262 00:11:08,583 --> 00:11:11,292 and his friend outlined a detailed plan 263 00:11:11,417 --> 00:11:13,333 on how to hijack an airplane. 264 00:11:13,458 --> 00:11:16,958 LAURENCE: The friend's name is Richard Floyd McCoy, Jr. 265 00:11:17,083 --> 00:11:18,250 DREW: At first, it may seem like 266 00:11:18,375 --> 00:11:19,583 another one of these fake, 267 00:11:19,708 --> 00:11:21,333 "My friend is D.B. Cooper" stories. 268 00:11:21,458 --> 00:11:24,250 But as investigators dig deeper into McCoy's background, 269 00:11:24,375 --> 00:11:26,833 they realize, "This might really be our guy." 270 00:11:26,917 --> 00:11:28,125 DAVE: Richard McCoy's a former student 271 00:11:28,250 --> 00:11:29,958 at Brigham Young University in Utah. 272 00:11:30,083 --> 00:11:32,000 He drops out, he joins the Army, 273 00:11:32,125 --> 00:11:34,167 he serves two tours in Vietnam. 274 00:11:34,292 --> 00:11:37,375 TRACY: He was a helicopter pilot and demolition expert. 275 00:11:37,542 --> 00:11:38,875 After his time in Vietnam, 276 00:11:39,000 --> 00:11:40,917 he served with the Utah National Guard, 277 00:11:41,042 --> 00:11:42,542 where he became a skydiver. 278 00:11:42,708 --> 00:11:43,833 JOHN: Based on his background, 279 00:11:43,958 --> 00:11:45,542 FBI agents believe he has some 280 00:11:45,708 --> 00:11:47,542 of the skills that Cooper has. 281 00:11:47,667 --> 00:11:50,708 DAVE: He knows bombs, he knows planes, 282 00:11:50,833 --> 00:11:52,083 and he's a skydiver. 283 00:11:52,208 --> 00:11:54,000 JOHN: There's a lot more to it than that, 284 00:11:54,083 --> 00:11:55,917 because according to the tipster, 285 00:11:56,042 --> 00:11:58,208 McCoy has just gotten away with another hijacking. 286 00:12:01,000 --> 00:12:03,875 LAURENCE: On April 7th, 1972, 287 00:12:04,000 --> 00:12:06,042 the day before the caller's tip, 288 00:12:06,167 --> 00:12:11,500 United Flight 855 from Denver to Los Angeles is hijacked. 289 00:12:11,625 --> 00:12:13,375 This hijacking occurred just five months 290 00:12:13,500 --> 00:12:14,917 after the D.B. Cooper hijacking, 291 00:12:15,042 --> 00:12:17,083 and the similarities are uncanny. 292 00:12:18,250 --> 00:12:20,792 JOHN: This hijacker uses the name of James Johnson 293 00:12:20,917 --> 00:12:22,625 to buy his ticket. 294 00:12:22,750 --> 00:12:24,458 Like Cooper, he gives the flight crew a note 295 00:12:24,583 --> 00:12:25,750 announcing his intentions. 296 00:12:25,875 --> 00:12:29,000 He gives very specific instructions to the pilot. 297 00:12:29,125 --> 00:12:30,333 DARREN: He asked them to fly 298 00:12:30,458 --> 00:12:32,417 to San Francisco, and he has 299 00:12:32,542 --> 00:12:34,167 a specific runway picked out-- 300 00:12:34,250 --> 00:12:35,792 19-Left. 301 00:12:35,875 --> 00:12:38,250 TED: He wants $500,000 302 00:12:38,375 --> 00:12:39,833 and four parachutes. 303 00:12:40,000 --> 00:12:41,333 And if he gets that, 304 00:12:41,458 --> 00:12:43,000 he'll let the passengers go. 305 00:12:43,167 --> 00:12:44,500 It's just like D.B. Cooper, 306 00:12:44,667 --> 00:12:46,208 right down to the number of parachutes. 307 00:12:47,625 --> 00:12:50,250 LAURENCE: The parallels don't end there. 308 00:12:50,375 --> 00:12:53,417 Johnson gets the cash, he lets the passengers off, 309 00:12:53,542 --> 00:12:54,833 and the plane goes in the air. 310 00:12:54,958 --> 00:12:58,667 He tells them to fly low and slow at 16,000 feet. 311 00:12:58,833 --> 00:13:00,875 Then he takes the cash. straps on a parachute, 312 00:13:01,042 --> 00:13:02,417 and jumps out the back stairs. 313 00:13:02,542 --> 00:13:04,750 LAURENCE: But the Johnson hijacking has something 314 00:13:04,875 --> 00:13:08,083 the Cooper case doesn't-- a prime suspect. 315 00:13:08,208 --> 00:13:09,875 JOHN: The first thing the FBI does 316 00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:11,917 is a handwriting and fingerprint analysis 317 00:13:12,042 --> 00:13:14,667 of the note used in the Johnson hijacking. 318 00:13:14,833 --> 00:13:17,333 Both samples are a positive match to McCoy. 319 00:13:17,500 --> 00:13:20,708 And then, the FBI conduct a search of McCoy's home, 320 00:13:20,833 --> 00:13:23,083 and they find a duffel bag full of cash-- 321 00:13:23,208 --> 00:13:26,792 $499,970. 322 00:13:26,917 --> 00:13:28,667 DARREN: McCoy is caught red-handed 323 00:13:28,750 --> 00:13:30,667 for the James Johnson hijacking, 324 00:13:30,833 --> 00:13:33,042 and sentenced to 45 years in prison. 325 00:13:35,375 --> 00:13:38,250 LAURENCE: But is McCoy also D.B. Cooper? 326 00:13:38,375 --> 00:13:41,542 DAVE: Unfortunately, unlike the Johnson hijacking, 327 00:13:41,708 --> 00:13:43,042 there's no evidence that ties McCoy 328 00:13:43,208 --> 00:13:44,833 to the D.B. Cooper hijacking. 329 00:13:44,958 --> 00:13:47,000 TRACY: First of all, none of his fingerprints 330 00:13:47,125 --> 00:13:49,417 match the 66 latent prints that were found 331 00:13:49,542 --> 00:13:52,000 off of the D.B. Cooper hijacking airplane. 332 00:13:52,125 --> 00:13:55,125 JOHN: Eyewitnesses are shown photos of McCoy, 333 00:13:55,250 --> 00:13:57,625 and they say it does not match Cooper. 334 00:13:57,750 --> 00:14:00,833 TRACY: Also, McCoy claimed to be in Las Vegas at that time, 335 00:14:01,000 --> 00:14:03,167 and that alibi was actually verified, 336 00:14:03,333 --> 00:14:05,833 in that his signature appeared on receipts and forms. 337 00:14:05,958 --> 00:14:08,125 JOHN: None of this rules out McCoy, 338 00:14:08,250 --> 00:14:09,792 but it makes it a lot less likely 339 00:14:09,917 --> 00:14:12,000 he is the Cooper suspect. 340 00:14:12,125 --> 00:14:13,833 LAURENCE: But there's one piece of evidence 341 00:14:13,958 --> 00:14:16,583 that could tie McCoy to the crime. 342 00:14:16,708 --> 00:14:18,792 DREW: McCoy's family's asked to look at the tie clip 343 00:14:18,875 --> 00:14:21,375 that D.B. Cooper left behind on Flight 305. 344 00:14:21,542 --> 00:14:23,000 According to the family, 345 00:14:23,125 --> 00:14:25,208 that tie clip belongs to Richard McCoy. 346 00:14:26,375 --> 00:14:28,417 LAURENCE: Unfortunately, the FBI is never able 347 00:14:28,542 --> 00:14:31,500 to interview McCoy about the Cooper hijacking case. 348 00:14:32,958 --> 00:14:35,958 On August 10th, 1974, 349 00:14:36,083 --> 00:14:40,167 soon after he's sent to prison, McCoy escapes. 350 00:14:40,292 --> 00:14:41,833 DREW: When he's found, he's shot and killed 351 00:14:41,958 --> 00:14:43,500 in a shootout with the FBI, 352 00:14:43,583 --> 00:14:45,833 and that kind of closes the case on McCoy. 353 00:14:45,917 --> 00:14:47,708 TRACY: The evidence against McCoy is thin, 354 00:14:47,833 --> 00:14:50,000 so in order to ID him as D.B. Cooper, 355 00:14:50,167 --> 00:14:51,833 they would need a confession, 356 00:14:51,917 --> 00:14:54,125 which they're never going to get now that he's dead. 357 00:14:54,208 --> 00:14:56,250 JOHN: But the FBI agent, Nick O'Hara, 358 00:14:56,375 --> 00:14:59,708 who shot McCoy, was quoted as saying, 359 00:14:59,833 --> 00:15:02,708 "When I shot McCoy, I shot D.B. Cooper." 360 00:15:03,833 --> 00:15:06,125 LAURENCE: But without more concrete evidence against McCoy, 361 00:15:06,208 --> 00:15:08,333 it's impossible to make a definitive ID, 362 00:15:08,458 --> 00:15:12,167 and so the FBI keeps investigating. 363 00:15:12,333 --> 00:15:13,708 DREW: At this point, there's not a lot 364 00:15:13,875 --> 00:15:15,250 the FBI can do on their own. 365 00:15:15,375 --> 00:15:17,083 They find themselves mainly running down tips 366 00:15:17,208 --> 00:15:19,875 from the public, and there are a lot of tips. 367 00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:21,167 TRACY: You have to understand, 368 00:15:21,333 --> 00:15:23,833 D.B. Cooper almost becomes a legend. 369 00:15:23,958 --> 00:15:27,167 There's kind of a Cooper mania surrounding him. 370 00:15:27,250 --> 00:15:30,125 He's kind of like a Jesse James or a Billy the Kid, 371 00:15:30,250 --> 00:15:32,750 this kind of common man who beats the system. 372 00:15:32,875 --> 00:15:34,625 And in the 1970s, 373 00:15:34,708 --> 00:15:36,333 that's the coolest thing you can do. 374 00:15:36,500 --> 00:15:37,875 DARREN: Claiming to be D.B. Cooper, 375 00:15:38,000 --> 00:15:39,917 especially in the Pacific Northwest, 376 00:15:40,042 --> 00:15:42,333 is just a way to get your 15 minutes of fame. 377 00:15:42,417 --> 00:15:44,500 JOHN: This is a nightmare to these poor investigators, 378 00:15:44,625 --> 00:15:47,750 'cause they have to sift through all these false confessions. 379 00:15:47,875 --> 00:15:49,833 After a few years, many agents speculate 380 00:15:50,000 --> 00:15:52,292 that they will never really find the real Cooper. 381 00:15:53,583 --> 00:15:55,833 LAURENCE: The Bureau continues its work for decades, 382 00:15:55,958 --> 00:15:59,000 investigating some 1,000 serious suspects, 383 00:15:59,125 --> 00:16:00,917 but none are proven to be Cooper. 384 00:16:02,292 --> 00:16:04,708 Eventually, the fame surrounding this case 385 00:16:04,875 --> 00:16:07,625 gets the public interested in solving this case as well. 386 00:16:07,708 --> 00:16:11,167 DARREN: It spawned all these armchair detectives 387 00:16:11,250 --> 00:16:13,167 and independent investigators 388 00:16:13,292 --> 00:16:15,333 to look at this case for themselves. 389 00:16:15,417 --> 00:16:18,333 LAURENCE: Among them, news researcher Tom Colbert 390 00:16:18,458 --> 00:16:22,208 and his team called the Case Breakers. 391 00:16:22,333 --> 00:16:24,958 In 2011, they announce a surprising new suspect. 392 00:16:26,542 --> 00:16:28,500 TED: Colbert has spoken to an informant 393 00:16:28,625 --> 00:16:30,083 named Ron Carlson. 394 00:16:30,208 --> 00:16:32,167 In the late '70s and '80s, 395 00:16:32,333 --> 00:16:34,750 Carlson said he worked in the cocaine business 396 00:16:34,875 --> 00:16:38,500 with Dick Briggs, and apparently Briggs used to brag all the time 397 00:16:38,667 --> 00:16:39,708 about being D.B. Cooper. 398 00:16:43,375 --> 00:16:46,208 JOHN: One night in 1980, Carlson stated that Briggs 399 00:16:46,375 --> 00:16:48,458 threw a party at Hayden Island, 400 00:16:48,583 --> 00:16:51,417 which sits in the middle of the Columbia River. 401 00:16:51,542 --> 00:16:55,333 There, once again, Briggs brags that he is D.B. Cooper. 402 00:16:55,417 --> 00:16:57,708 LAURENCE: This time, party guests 403 00:16:57,875 --> 00:16:59,375 ask Briggs to prove it. 404 00:16:59,542 --> 00:17:01,000 Carlson says that Briggs 405 00:17:01,167 --> 00:17:03,208 points out a couple at the party. 406 00:17:03,375 --> 00:17:06,625 Their names are Dwayne and Patricia Ingram. 407 00:17:06,750 --> 00:17:09,792 Briggs says, "If you don't believe me, just watch. 408 00:17:09,917 --> 00:17:13,125 They're going to find the Cooper money in five days." 409 00:17:14,167 --> 00:17:16,458 JOHN: Five days later, Ingram's son Brian 410 00:17:16,583 --> 00:17:19,083 finds two bundles buried in the sand 411 00:17:19,208 --> 00:17:21,500 on the banks of the Columbia River. 412 00:17:21,625 --> 00:17:26,500 Inside these bundles was $5,800 in decomposing cash. 413 00:17:26,625 --> 00:17:29,125 My son ran up and said, "Wait a minute, Daddy." 414 00:17:29,208 --> 00:17:31,708 So, he raked a place out in the sand there, 415 00:17:31,833 --> 00:17:34,167 and there it was, it kinda tumbled up on the top. 416 00:17:34,292 --> 00:17:36,958 DARREN: The bills have deteriorated quite badly, 417 00:17:37,083 --> 00:17:38,833 but the serial numbers on the bills 418 00:17:38,958 --> 00:17:41,292 match the ones given to D.B. Cooper. 419 00:17:41,375 --> 00:17:43,708 JOHN: This is most definitely the Cooper ransom money, 420 00:17:43,833 --> 00:17:46,458 and it's found exactly as Briggs described it. 421 00:17:46,542 --> 00:17:49,042 LAURENCE: This remains the only physical evidence 422 00:17:49,208 --> 00:17:51,375 ever found outside the plane. 423 00:17:51,542 --> 00:17:54,042 TED: And the FBI tries to process the money 424 00:17:54,208 --> 00:17:56,125 to lead them back to the hijacker. 425 00:17:56,208 --> 00:17:58,375 Unfortunately, the bills are falling apart, 426 00:17:58,500 --> 00:18:00,292 and there are no fingerprints 427 00:18:00,417 --> 00:18:03,125 or any other evidence to tie back to Cooper. 428 00:18:04,208 --> 00:18:06,333 LAURENCE: At the time of the discovery in 1980, 429 00:18:06,458 --> 00:18:10,708 the FBI has no reason to suspect Dick Briggs. 430 00:18:10,833 --> 00:18:13,125 The whole Briggs connection doesn't come to light 431 00:18:13,250 --> 00:18:15,167 until the Case Breakers bring it up. 432 00:18:15,292 --> 00:18:19,000 LAURENCE: By then, the FBI can't further investigate. 433 00:18:19,167 --> 00:18:21,333 DARREN: Dick Briggs dies in a single car accident 434 00:18:21,458 --> 00:18:23,833 December 12th, 1980, and it's unlikely 435 00:18:24,000 --> 00:18:25,417 that this drug dealer was Cooper, 436 00:18:25,542 --> 00:18:27,333 but with him gone, we'll never really know. 437 00:18:28,500 --> 00:18:29,833 TRACY: Once again, we're left 438 00:18:30,000 --> 00:18:32,083 with more questions than answers. 439 00:18:32,208 --> 00:18:34,500 How do Briggs, the money, and D.B. Cooper add up? 440 00:18:34,625 --> 00:18:36,667 DARREN: Did Briggs plant the money? 441 00:18:36,792 --> 00:18:40,333 Did he know about the couple going to find it? 442 00:18:40,417 --> 00:18:43,500 Fortunately, the Case Breakers aren't done digging yet. 443 00:18:47,208 --> 00:18:50,042 LAURENCE: It's November 2011, and while the FBI 444 00:18:50,167 --> 00:18:52,500 has investigated over 1,000 suspects 445 00:18:52,625 --> 00:18:56,458 in the D.B. Cooper case, none have panned out. 446 00:18:56,542 --> 00:18:58,833 But a team of amateur researchers 447 00:18:58,958 --> 00:19:01,208 called the Case Breakers have uncovered 448 00:19:01,375 --> 00:19:04,000 a new person of interest. 449 00:19:04,083 --> 00:19:05,833 JOHN: The Case Breakers have been looking 450 00:19:05,958 --> 00:19:07,917 at a former cocaine dealer 451 00:19:08,042 --> 00:19:10,208 named Richard Briggs who bragged 452 00:19:10,375 --> 00:19:12,250 that he was D.B. Cooper. 453 00:19:12,375 --> 00:19:14,167 Now, Briggs has been dead for 30 years, 454 00:19:14,250 --> 00:19:15,625 so there's no way to prove his claim. 455 00:19:15,708 --> 00:19:17,250 Plus, there's always been some problems 456 00:19:17,375 --> 00:19:19,167 about Briggs being the suspect. 457 00:19:19,250 --> 00:19:21,667 TED: First, he doesn't look that much 458 00:19:21,792 --> 00:19:23,667 like the D.B. Cooper sketch. 459 00:19:23,833 --> 00:19:25,667 Second, there's no known records 460 00:19:25,750 --> 00:19:27,708 of him having any parachute training. 461 00:19:27,833 --> 00:19:30,542 DARREN: This isn't the end of the story for Briggs though, 462 00:19:30,708 --> 00:19:33,833 because the Case Breakers find one of his associates, 463 00:19:33,958 --> 00:19:36,958 former paratrooper Robert Rackstraw. 464 00:19:37,083 --> 00:19:38,833 When they look at the picture of Rackstraw 465 00:19:38,958 --> 00:19:40,125 and compare it to the sketch, 466 00:19:40,250 --> 00:19:41,833 they think maybe this guy 467 00:19:42,000 --> 00:19:43,125 could be D.B. Cooper. 468 00:19:45,958 --> 00:19:47,583 This guy checks all the boxes. 469 00:19:47,708 --> 00:19:49,417 He's an ex-paratrooper, 470 00:19:49,542 --> 00:19:51,500 looks a lot like the D.B. Cooper sketch, 471 00:19:51,583 --> 00:19:55,083 and was even investigated as a suspect in the late '70s. 472 00:19:55,208 --> 00:19:59,167 LAURENCE: The Case Breakers dig deeper into Rackstraw's past. 473 00:19:59,292 --> 00:20:02,083 DREW: Robert Rackstraw joins the Army in 1969, 474 00:20:02,208 --> 00:20:03,042 and he's assigned to 475 00:20:03,208 --> 00:20:04,000 the First Cavalry 476 00:20:04,125 --> 00:20:06,167 Airmobile Division in Vietnam. 477 00:20:06,292 --> 00:20:08,500 JOHN: In the service, he gets extensive training 478 00:20:08,583 --> 00:20:12,042 on skydiving, use of explosives, and how to fly a plane. 479 00:20:12,167 --> 00:20:13,250 He makes a name for himself, 480 00:20:13,375 --> 00:20:17,208 and quickly rises to the rank of First Lieutenant. 481 00:20:17,333 --> 00:20:19,667 TED: But this guy is a total rulebreaker. 482 00:20:19,792 --> 00:20:22,750 At one point, he even steals his own commander's jeep. 483 00:20:22,875 --> 00:20:27,250 In 1971, just five months before the Cooper hijacking, 484 00:20:27,375 --> 00:20:29,292 Rackstraw finally gets kicked out 485 00:20:29,375 --> 00:20:31,542 of the Army for insubordination. 486 00:20:31,708 --> 00:20:34,792 LAURENCE: From there, his bad behavior continues. 487 00:20:34,875 --> 00:20:37,583 JOHN: In the 1970s he racks up a lot of charges, 488 00:20:37,708 --> 00:20:40,500 everything from check forgery to domestic violence. 489 00:20:40,583 --> 00:20:41,917 At one point, he's actually charged 490 00:20:42,042 --> 00:20:43,833 with killing his own stepfather. 491 00:20:43,958 --> 00:20:45,542 He actually is acquitted of that, 492 00:20:45,708 --> 00:20:48,458 but still faces other charges when he disappears. 493 00:20:49,542 --> 00:20:51,417 DAVE: While out on bail, he fakes his own death. 494 00:20:51,542 --> 00:20:54,000 He rents a small plane and he fakes a mayday call 495 00:20:54,125 --> 00:20:55,042 saying he's going down 496 00:20:55,208 --> 00:20:56,583 in Monterey Bay. 497 00:20:56,708 --> 00:20:58,583 DREW: Investigators find the plane intact, 498 00:20:58,708 --> 00:21:00,875 repainted in a nearby hangar. 499 00:21:01,042 --> 00:21:03,333 Rackstraw's eventually rearrested a few months later 500 00:21:03,417 --> 00:21:05,250 and receives a short sentence. 501 00:21:05,375 --> 00:21:07,042 All this attention with law enforcement 502 00:21:07,208 --> 00:21:08,958 has an unintended consequence. 503 00:21:09,083 --> 00:21:10,500 It puts him right on the radar 504 00:21:10,583 --> 00:21:12,500 for the D.B. Cooper investigation. 505 00:21:12,583 --> 00:21:16,000 TED: In 1978, two Stockton, California detectives 506 00:21:16,083 --> 00:21:17,542 look at Rackstraw. 507 00:21:17,667 --> 00:21:19,500 They look at his background and criminal record, 508 00:21:19,583 --> 00:21:21,292 and they can't help but notice 509 00:21:21,375 --> 00:21:23,667 his similar appearance to the Cooper sketch. 510 00:21:23,750 --> 00:21:26,625 LAURENCE: The detectives find too many connections to ignore. 511 00:21:26,750 --> 00:21:29,875 TRACY: He knows bombs, he knows skydiving. 512 00:21:30,000 --> 00:21:33,375 He runs scams with airplanes, he knows fake identities, 513 00:21:33,500 --> 00:21:35,667 and by all accounts, he has nothing to lose. 514 00:21:35,750 --> 00:21:39,167 LAURENCE: The Stockton detectives tip off the FBI. 515 00:21:39,250 --> 00:21:41,542 DAVE: Rackstraw gives a jailhouse interview 516 00:21:41,667 --> 00:21:44,042 to the Stockton, California newspaper, The Record. 517 00:21:44,208 --> 00:21:47,625 In it, he says he identifies with the spirit of D.B. Cooper, 518 00:21:47,750 --> 00:21:50,583 a guy who challenged the legal system and beat it. 519 00:21:50,708 --> 00:21:53,625 In the interview, Rackstraw switches to first person, 520 00:21:53,708 --> 00:21:56,583 and he says, "I think I stand for the American people." 521 00:21:56,708 --> 00:21:59,500 JOHN: Journalists find some more circumstantial links 522 00:21:59,625 --> 00:22:01,625 between him and D.B. Cooper. 523 00:22:01,750 --> 00:22:03,958 He admitted to being in the Pacific Northwest 524 00:22:04,083 --> 00:22:05,667 during the time of the hijacking. 525 00:22:05,792 --> 00:22:08,250 They also learn that he was introduced to skydiving 526 00:22:08,375 --> 00:22:11,667 by his favorite uncle, Ed Cooper. 527 00:22:11,792 --> 00:22:13,833 TED: In another sit-down interview, 528 00:22:13,958 --> 00:22:16,292 Rackstraw is asked if he thinks he's a good suspect 529 00:22:16,375 --> 00:22:18,250 for D.B. Cooper. 530 00:22:18,375 --> 00:22:21,583 He says, "If I was an investigator, definitely so. 531 00:22:21,708 --> 00:22:25,167 I wouldn't discount myself or a person like myself." 532 00:22:25,292 --> 00:22:27,333 LAURENCE: Based on all this evidence, 533 00:22:27,458 --> 00:22:31,083 the Case Breakers' Tom Colbert and Tom Szollosi 534 00:22:31,208 --> 00:22:33,708 publish a 2016 book 535 00:22:33,833 --> 00:22:37,583 identifying Rackstraw as D.B. Cooper. 536 00:22:37,708 --> 00:22:39,667 But their biggest bombshell has to do with the reason 537 00:22:39,792 --> 00:22:41,583 that Rackstraw was never caught. 538 00:22:41,708 --> 00:22:44,125 DARREN: Colbert and Szollosi believe that Rackstraw 539 00:22:44,250 --> 00:22:46,250 was protected by friends in high places, 540 00:22:46,375 --> 00:22:48,542 possibly the CIA. 541 00:22:48,708 --> 00:22:50,333 Colbert and Szollosi have discovered evidence 542 00:22:50,417 --> 00:22:53,083 that Rackstraw worked for the CIA. 543 00:22:54,500 --> 00:22:56,333 TRACY: Court records show that Rackstraw 544 00:22:56,417 --> 00:22:59,125 flew for CIA's Air America in Laos 545 00:22:59,250 --> 00:23:02,125 shortly after the D.B. Cooper hijacking. 546 00:23:02,250 --> 00:23:05,500 LAURENCE: And he may have also been a pilot 547 00:23:05,583 --> 00:23:08,250 during the CIA's Iran-Contra Affair. 548 00:23:08,375 --> 00:23:11,292 TRACY: Colbert and Szollosi believe that because Rackstraw 549 00:23:11,375 --> 00:23:13,833 knows CIA secrets, he is shielded 550 00:23:13,958 --> 00:23:16,708 from the FBI investigation into D.B. Cooper. 551 00:23:18,208 --> 00:23:19,500 LAURENCE: Despite this new evidence, 552 00:23:19,667 --> 00:23:22,667 the FBI doesn't further investigate Rackstraw, 553 00:23:22,792 --> 00:23:25,375 because they officially close the Cooper case 554 00:23:25,500 --> 00:23:29,833 just days after this revelation in 2016. 555 00:23:29,958 --> 00:23:33,667 The FBI has spent 45 years, countless man hours, 556 00:23:33,792 --> 00:23:35,667 and millions of dollars investigating this case, 557 00:23:35,792 --> 00:23:37,208 and they don't have any firm evidence 558 00:23:37,333 --> 00:23:39,000 against any particular suspect. 559 00:23:39,083 --> 00:23:40,333 He didn't kill anybody, 560 00:23:40,458 --> 00:23:42,708 there's no families clamoring for justice, 561 00:23:42,833 --> 00:23:46,042 and at the end of the day, he really only stole $200,000. 562 00:23:46,208 --> 00:23:48,625 They really can't justify spending all these resources 563 00:23:48,708 --> 00:23:50,500 on this case anymore. 564 00:23:50,583 --> 00:23:52,708 DREW: Robert Rackstraw never confirms or denies 565 00:23:52,875 --> 00:23:53,875 he's D.B. Cooper. 566 00:23:54,042 --> 00:23:56,708 For the rest of his life after the theory comes out, 567 00:23:56,833 --> 00:23:59,167 he seems to like people making their own assumptions. 568 00:23:59,292 --> 00:24:01,333 JOHN: Maybe he was a CIA operative, 569 00:24:01,458 --> 00:24:03,167 maybe he wasn't, or maybe he's just some old guy 570 00:24:03,292 --> 00:24:04,625 having a bit of fun. 571 00:24:04,708 --> 00:24:08,000 We'll never know either way, because on July 9th, 2019, 572 00:24:08,125 --> 00:24:11,000 he died of a heart condition and took those secrets with him. 573 00:24:16,375 --> 00:24:19,292 When the FBI officially closes the D.B. Cooper investigation 574 00:24:19,375 --> 00:24:23,000 in 2016, the government assumes the public 575 00:24:23,167 --> 00:24:24,667 will finally lose interest. 576 00:24:24,792 --> 00:24:29,833 But in 2018, a new book reveals a shocking new theory, 577 00:24:30,000 --> 00:24:32,333 one that captures the world's attention 578 00:24:32,417 --> 00:24:35,417 and reignites speculation about the case. 579 00:24:37,000 --> 00:24:38,833 DARREN: At this point, the FBI case 580 00:24:39,000 --> 00:24:41,167 has been closed for just over two years, 581 00:24:41,292 --> 00:24:42,583 so the only new suspects 582 00:24:42,708 --> 00:24:44,000 are coming by the way 583 00:24:44,083 --> 00:24:45,958 of amateur investigators. 584 00:24:46,042 --> 00:24:49,542 LAURENCE: One in particular comes from author Carl Laurin 585 00:24:49,708 --> 00:24:52,417 in his book "D.B. Cooper and Me: 586 00:24:52,542 --> 00:24:55,167 A Criminal, a Spy, My Best Friend." 587 00:24:55,333 --> 00:24:57,333 DARREN: He alleges that his friend 588 00:24:57,458 --> 00:24:59,542 and former spy Walter Reca 589 00:24:59,708 --> 00:25:00,875 is D.B. Cooper. 590 00:25:03,875 --> 00:25:05,167 When this theory comes out, 591 00:25:05,292 --> 00:25:06,833 it makes huge headlines. 592 00:25:06,958 --> 00:25:09,167 DARREN: Carl Laurin and his publisher Vern Jones 593 00:25:09,292 --> 00:25:11,667 start a full-scale media blitz 594 00:25:11,792 --> 00:25:13,458 to get their suspect's name out there. 595 00:25:13,583 --> 00:25:15,500 JOHN: They make a documentary, 596 00:25:15,625 --> 00:25:17,000 and they contact the lead investigator 597 00:25:17,167 --> 00:25:18,667 in the Jimmy Hoffa investigation 598 00:25:18,792 --> 00:25:21,208 and ask him to write a book about this case. 599 00:25:21,375 --> 00:25:23,208 This book comes to the same conclusion 600 00:25:23,333 --> 00:25:26,333 that D.B. Cooper is Walter Reca. 601 00:25:26,458 --> 00:25:28,750 LAURENCE: It all starts with a phone call. 602 00:25:28,875 --> 00:25:32,667 JOHN: According to Laurin, in 2008 Reca calls him. 603 00:25:32,792 --> 00:25:34,333 Laurin can tell that he has something 604 00:25:34,458 --> 00:25:36,042 he wants to get off his chest. 605 00:25:36,167 --> 00:25:39,500 And his best friend tells him, "I am D.B. Cooper." 606 00:25:39,625 --> 00:25:41,000 Reca is getting older, 607 00:25:41,125 --> 00:25:42,917 he wants to share his story with someone. 608 00:25:43,042 --> 00:25:44,667 Why not his best friend? 609 00:25:44,792 --> 00:25:46,875 DARREN: Carl wasn't surprised by this. 610 00:25:47,000 --> 00:25:50,500 In November of 1971 when he first heard the news 611 00:25:50,667 --> 00:25:52,667 of the skyjacking, he said out loud, 612 00:25:52,792 --> 00:25:54,000 "I bet that's Walt." 613 00:25:54,125 --> 00:25:56,833 DREW: He knows Reca's a trained former paratrooper. 614 00:25:56,958 --> 00:25:58,458 They were even on a skydiving team 615 00:25:58,542 --> 00:26:00,292 together in the 1950s with 616 00:26:00,417 --> 00:26:02,417 the Michigan Air National Guard. 617 00:26:02,542 --> 00:26:04,833 LAURENCE: Other details line up as well. 618 00:26:05,000 --> 00:26:08,667 In 1971, Walt would have been 37 years old. 619 00:26:08,750 --> 00:26:10,958 He looks similar to the hijacker 620 00:26:11,042 --> 00:26:13,750 and was living in Washington State at the time. 621 00:26:13,875 --> 00:26:16,667 JOHN: Laurin thinks that Reca has the personality for it. 622 00:26:16,792 --> 00:26:20,000 He describes his friend as fearless and brash. 623 00:26:20,083 --> 00:26:23,833 Laurin states, "I knew Walter Reca was D.B. Cooper, 624 00:26:23,958 --> 00:26:26,542 because he was D.B. Cooper." 625 00:26:27,833 --> 00:26:29,833 LAURENCE: Before sharing more details, 626 00:26:29,917 --> 00:26:33,417 Reca asks Laurin to sign a notarized letter 627 00:26:33,542 --> 00:26:35,625 stating he'll only release the information 628 00:26:35,750 --> 00:26:37,833 after Reca's death. 629 00:26:37,958 --> 00:26:40,458 DREW: Laurin signs the letter, and then they can begin. 630 00:26:40,583 --> 00:26:42,292 Reca agrees to let Laurin tape record 631 00:26:42,417 --> 00:26:43,708 all their phone conversations, 632 00:26:43,833 --> 00:26:45,875 where he will finally reveal everything. 633 00:26:46,042 --> 00:26:48,292 DARREN: There's three hours of recordings 634 00:26:48,375 --> 00:26:50,458 where Walt confesses to the crime 635 00:26:50,583 --> 00:26:53,000 and describes exactly how he did it. 636 00:26:53,125 --> 00:26:56,000 If these tapes are true, there are details in here 637 00:26:56,125 --> 00:26:58,042 that only the skyjacker would know. 638 00:26:58,208 --> 00:27:00,875 LAURENCE: Most importantly, Reca describes 639 00:27:01,042 --> 00:27:04,208 precisely where he jumped and landed. 640 00:27:05,625 --> 00:27:07,500 TED: Reca says he leapt from the plane 641 00:27:07,625 --> 00:27:10,167 about 50 miles southeast of Seattle 642 00:27:10,250 --> 00:27:11,458 just on the edge 643 00:27:11,583 --> 00:27:13,167 of the Cascade Mountain range. 644 00:27:13,292 --> 00:27:15,750 JOHN: He chose a spot where there was a highway 645 00:27:15,875 --> 00:27:18,125 running through it for an easier escape. 646 00:27:18,208 --> 00:27:20,833 LAURENCE: In order to verify Reca's claim, 647 00:27:20,958 --> 00:27:24,542 Laurin goes to this location and begins to ask around. 648 00:27:24,708 --> 00:27:26,917 TED: There, he's amazed to find an eyewitness 649 00:27:27,042 --> 00:27:29,167 named Jeff Osiadacz, a former cop 650 00:27:29,333 --> 00:27:30,917 who claims to have seen Reca 651 00:27:31,042 --> 00:27:32,958 the night of the infamous hijacking. 652 00:27:33,083 --> 00:27:36,083 JOHN: He stated that in the small town of Cle Elum, 653 00:27:36,208 --> 00:27:39,167 he saw Reca walking down a road near a café. 654 00:27:39,333 --> 00:27:42,125 Reca is wearing a black suit, he's soaking wet, 655 00:27:42,208 --> 00:27:45,625 and carrying a raincoat wrapped up under his arm. 656 00:27:45,708 --> 00:27:48,667 TED: Reca seems disoriented and asks where he is. 657 00:27:48,792 --> 00:27:50,875 He calls an unidentified friend 658 00:27:51,000 --> 00:27:54,083 and has Osiadacz give the friend directions to their location. 659 00:27:54,208 --> 00:27:56,833 DARREN: Before Osiadacz leaves, Reca offers to pay 660 00:27:57,000 --> 00:27:59,875 for his coffee, and that's the last of their encounter. 661 00:28:00,000 --> 00:28:03,833 LAURENCE: According to Osiadacz, he didn't notify authorities 662 00:28:03,958 --> 00:28:06,750 because he didn't think this could be Cooper. 663 00:28:06,875 --> 00:28:09,583 JOHN: Osiadacz sees the news about the hijacking, 664 00:28:09,708 --> 00:28:11,417 but from what he saw, 665 00:28:11,542 --> 00:28:14,458 the hijacker jumped out in Oregon, not in Washington. 666 00:28:14,542 --> 00:28:16,167 Plus, he didn't think Reca 667 00:28:16,292 --> 00:28:18,958 looked anything like the composite sketch. 668 00:28:19,083 --> 00:28:21,250 DARREN: Reca had a much rounder face, 669 00:28:21,375 --> 00:28:24,042 a little bit thicker build, and a more crooked nose 670 00:28:24,208 --> 00:28:26,250 than what was observed in the sketch. 671 00:28:26,375 --> 00:28:28,667 LAURENCE: Despite the claims in Laurin's book, 672 00:28:28,792 --> 00:28:32,667 the FBI doesn't reopen the case to investigate Reca. 673 00:28:32,792 --> 00:28:34,500 Besides the sketch, the location 674 00:28:34,625 --> 00:28:36,250 also doesn't add up to investigators. 675 00:28:36,375 --> 00:28:38,750 Reca supposedly walks to a town in Washington 676 00:28:38,875 --> 00:28:41,000 called Cle Elum. 677 00:28:41,125 --> 00:28:44,375 LAURENCE: The town is over 150 miles northeast 678 00:28:44,542 --> 00:28:46,667 of the hijacked plane's flight path. 679 00:28:46,750 --> 00:28:48,833 Also, the only evidence they have 680 00:28:48,958 --> 00:28:51,333 that may implicate Reca is hearsay. 681 00:28:51,458 --> 00:28:54,875 DARREN: The FBI isn't interested in reopening the case, 682 00:28:55,000 --> 00:28:57,708 so it's just another deathbed confession. 683 00:28:58,792 --> 00:29:00,833 LAURENCE: But Laurin says there's another reason 684 00:29:00,958 --> 00:29:03,500 the FBI steers clear of Reca. 685 00:29:03,625 --> 00:29:06,917 According to Laurin's book, shortly after the hijacking, 686 00:29:07,042 --> 00:29:09,833 two government agents come knocking on Reca's door. 687 00:29:09,958 --> 00:29:13,458 They give Reca a choice-- come work for U.S. intelligence 688 00:29:13,583 --> 00:29:15,417 or spend a long time in jail. 689 00:29:15,542 --> 00:29:18,875 LAURENCE: Laurin claims that Reca then begins working 690 00:29:19,000 --> 00:29:23,500 as a spy for the CIA, as well as Israel's Mossad, 691 00:29:23,583 --> 00:29:27,208 and even allegedly the Soviet KGB. 692 00:29:27,333 --> 00:29:30,083 Laurin has evidence for this, 'cause Reca gave him 693 00:29:30,208 --> 00:29:34,083 a bunch of passports, some of which have fake names. 694 00:29:34,208 --> 00:29:36,792 DREW: He also has a variety of covert identity cards 695 00:29:36,917 --> 00:29:38,958 from spy agencies like MI6, 696 00:29:39,042 --> 00:29:41,708 and a diary chock full of assassinations 697 00:29:41,875 --> 00:29:43,667 and covert operations. 698 00:29:43,833 --> 00:29:45,208 TRACY: I suppose that all of these documents 699 00:29:45,375 --> 00:29:47,542 could be forgeries, but they really don't answer 700 00:29:47,667 --> 00:29:49,917 the question of if he's D.B. Cooper. 701 00:29:50,042 --> 00:29:56,833 We'll probably never know the answer to that question. 702 00:29:57,000 --> 00:29:59,667 LAURENCE: When the hijacker known as D.B. Cooper 703 00:29:59,792 --> 00:30:04,000 disappears with $200,000 in 1971, 704 00:30:04,125 --> 00:30:07,917 he leaves behind almost no evidence. 705 00:30:08,042 --> 00:30:09,333 DREW: The only things we know for sure 706 00:30:09,417 --> 00:30:10,542 that are left on the plane 707 00:30:10,667 --> 00:30:11,667 is the black clip-on tie 708 00:30:11,792 --> 00:30:13,292 and the tie clip. 709 00:30:13,375 --> 00:30:14,875 TED: You may be surprised 710 00:30:15,042 --> 00:30:16,667 that he would leave some things behind. 711 00:30:16,792 --> 00:30:18,375 But back in the '70s, 712 00:30:18,500 --> 00:30:20,000 nobody knows about DNA, 713 00:30:20,125 --> 00:30:21,667 and nobody can test for it. 714 00:30:21,792 --> 00:30:23,375 Criminals are mainly concerned 715 00:30:23,500 --> 00:30:26,125 with not leaving behind hairs or fingerprints, 716 00:30:26,208 --> 00:30:28,958 neither of which are found on the necktie. 717 00:30:29,042 --> 00:30:32,750 LAURENCE: But 50 years later in 2011, 718 00:30:32,875 --> 00:30:35,917 technology evolves enough to make a breakthrough. 719 00:30:36,042 --> 00:30:39,917 JOHN: Back in 2009, a paleontologist named Tom Kaye 720 00:30:40,042 --> 00:30:42,375 assembled a group of scientists to investigate. 721 00:30:42,500 --> 00:30:43,667 They dub themselves 722 00:30:43,792 --> 00:30:45,333 as Citizen Sleuths. 723 00:30:45,417 --> 00:30:47,750 Their plan is to use the up-to-date 724 00:30:47,875 --> 00:30:49,625 scientific techniques 725 00:30:49,708 --> 00:30:51,167 that have not been used in this case. 726 00:30:51,250 --> 00:30:54,500 In 2011, they're allowed by authorities 727 00:30:54,625 --> 00:30:56,667 to test the black clip-on tie. 728 00:30:56,792 --> 00:30:59,208 Kaye and his team feel that the tie 729 00:30:59,375 --> 00:31:02,500 is a great piece of evidence for one specific reason. 730 00:31:02,625 --> 00:31:04,958 You don't usually wash ties. 731 00:31:05,042 --> 00:31:07,000 DREW: There's a chance that this tie was worn 732 00:31:07,125 --> 00:31:09,458 in many different situations, picking up various particles 733 00:31:09,583 --> 00:31:11,292 and fibers along the way. 734 00:31:11,375 --> 00:31:14,083 LAURENCE: The team uses an electron microscope, 735 00:31:14,208 --> 00:31:18,000 allowing them to look closer at the tie than ever before. 736 00:31:18,125 --> 00:31:21,083 DARREN: They're shocked to find rare Earth minerals on it. 737 00:31:21,208 --> 00:31:23,958 Specifically, these are cerium, strontium sulfide, 738 00:31:24,042 --> 00:31:25,792 and pure titanium. 739 00:31:25,875 --> 00:31:27,625 These aren't just lying around your house. 740 00:31:27,708 --> 00:31:31,000 These elements are used for very specific situations. 741 00:31:31,083 --> 00:31:32,875 TED: Of course, they were hoping for a lead, 742 00:31:33,042 --> 00:31:34,250 but this is a better lead 743 00:31:34,375 --> 00:31:36,417 than they could have ever anticipated. 744 00:31:37,792 --> 00:31:40,667 LAURENCE: In 1971, these materials 745 00:31:40,750 --> 00:31:44,333 would only typically appear in aerospace maintenance facilities 746 00:31:44,458 --> 00:31:46,833 or cutting-edge electronics labs. 747 00:31:46,958 --> 00:31:48,833 DREW: This narrows things down tremendously. 748 00:31:49,000 --> 00:31:51,667 There are millions of Caucasian men with dark hair, 749 00:31:51,792 --> 00:31:53,375 but there's only a few hundred thousand 750 00:31:53,542 --> 00:31:55,417 that would have worked in that kind of environment. 751 00:31:55,542 --> 00:31:58,375 DARREN: Was D.B. Cooper an engineer or a scientist? 752 00:31:58,500 --> 00:32:01,000 Did he sweep up the lab at the end of the day? 753 00:32:02,125 --> 00:32:03,667 LAURENCE: After the team releases its findings, 754 00:32:03,833 --> 00:32:06,833 engineer Bill Rollins joins the hunt. 755 00:32:07,000 --> 00:32:08,417 TRACY: Rollins goes through the records 756 00:32:09,708 --> 00:32:12,167 of people who were employed by these companies in the 1970s. 757 00:32:12,292 --> 00:32:15,167 He compares these with thousands of persons of interest 758 00:32:15,250 --> 00:32:17,000 that the FBI looked at. 759 00:32:17,125 --> 00:32:19,000 DREW: He believes he finds the perfect candidate 760 00:32:19,125 --> 00:32:21,250 for D.B. Cooper, a production supervisor 761 00:32:21,375 --> 00:32:24,333 at an electronics factory names Joe Lakich. 762 00:32:24,458 --> 00:32:27,917 TED: Joe Lakich is a retired U.S. Army Major and war veteran. 763 00:32:28,042 --> 00:32:29,667 And at the time of the hijacking, 764 00:32:29,750 --> 00:32:31,208 he works at a technology plant 765 00:32:31,333 --> 00:32:33,875 in Nashville, where he could easily 766 00:32:34,042 --> 00:32:36,083 come in contact with the rare earth elements. 767 00:32:36,208 --> 00:32:37,958 LAURENCE: But there's something else 768 00:32:38,083 --> 00:32:40,250 that catches Rollins' eye. 769 00:32:40,375 --> 00:32:42,917 TRACY: He thinks Lakich committed the hijackings 770 00:32:43,042 --> 00:32:44,958 not for money, but for revenge. 771 00:32:47,417 --> 00:32:49,458 LAURENCE: When the FBI originally questions 772 00:32:49,583 --> 00:32:53,417 flight attendant Tina Mucklow in 1971, 773 00:32:53,542 --> 00:32:56,417 she mentions a conversation that investigators 774 00:32:56,542 --> 00:32:58,500 don't pay much attention to at the time. 775 00:32:58,583 --> 00:33:01,208 TRACY: She asked Cooper why he's hijacking the plane. 776 00:33:01,333 --> 00:33:04,167 "Do you have something against Northwest Orient Airlines?" 777 00:33:04,292 --> 00:33:06,458 He responds, "I don't have a grudge 778 00:33:06,583 --> 00:33:09,167 against your airline, Miss, I just have a grudge." 779 00:33:09,292 --> 00:33:11,583 LAURENCE: For Rollins, that grudge 780 00:33:11,708 --> 00:33:13,208 is a critical detail. 781 00:33:13,333 --> 00:33:15,375 Rollins believes Lakich has a serious grudge 782 00:33:15,500 --> 00:33:16,750 against the FBI. 783 00:33:16,875 --> 00:33:20,208 In 1971, the same year as the hijacking, 784 00:33:20,333 --> 00:33:23,125 Lakich's daughter Susan dies in a tragic accident 785 00:33:23,208 --> 00:33:25,458 involving the Bureau. 786 00:33:25,542 --> 00:33:28,917 TRACY: Susan is kidnapped by her estranged husband George. 787 00:33:29,042 --> 00:33:30,750 He drags her on board a private plane 788 00:33:30,875 --> 00:33:33,167 against her will at gunpoint in Nashville. 789 00:33:33,292 --> 00:33:36,292 TED: He demands the pilot fly them to the Bahamas, 790 00:33:36,417 --> 00:33:38,167 but this requires a refueling stop 791 00:33:38,333 --> 00:33:40,667 at Jacksonville International Airport. 792 00:33:41,833 --> 00:33:44,292 DARREN: The FBI is waiting for them in Jacksonville, 793 00:33:44,417 --> 00:33:46,958 and they end up shooting the tires out on the plane. 794 00:33:47,083 --> 00:33:48,708 But before they can rush on board, 795 00:33:48,833 --> 00:33:52,458 George has killed everyone on board, including himself. 796 00:33:52,542 --> 00:33:54,958 LAURENCE: Lakich files a wrongful death suit 797 00:33:55,083 --> 00:33:56,750 against the Bureau. 798 00:33:56,875 --> 00:33:58,167 TRACY: And just two months later, 799 00:33:58,292 --> 00:34:00,167 D.B. Cooper hijacks the plane, 800 00:34:00,250 --> 00:34:03,167 creating a years-long headache for the FBI. 801 00:34:03,250 --> 00:34:06,000 TED: For Rollins, the timeline of Susan's murder 802 00:34:06,083 --> 00:34:08,250 and the Flight 305 hijacking 803 00:34:08,375 --> 00:34:10,875 points directly to Lakich as a suspect. 804 00:34:11,042 --> 00:34:13,167 TRACY: In some warped sense of justice, 805 00:34:13,250 --> 00:34:15,417 he decides to stick it to the FBI 806 00:34:15,542 --> 00:34:17,458 by hijacking a plane himself. 807 00:34:18,625 --> 00:34:20,375 DREW: And Lakich seems to be one of the few suspects 808 00:34:20,542 --> 00:34:22,333 who was ever on the FBI's radar 809 00:34:22,417 --> 00:34:24,167 who could have had access to the rare metals 810 00:34:24,292 --> 00:34:25,917 found on the tie. 811 00:34:26,042 --> 00:34:28,333 LAURENCE: Unfortunately, Lakich dies 812 00:34:28,458 --> 00:34:30,875 before Rollins can question him. 813 00:34:31,042 --> 00:34:33,083 TRACY: But Rollins hasn't given up. 814 00:34:33,208 --> 00:34:35,167 He's still trying to track the ransom money, 815 00:34:35,292 --> 00:34:36,542 which he believes will lead 816 00:34:36,708 --> 00:34:38,875 to Lakich's home town of Nashville. 817 00:34:39,042 --> 00:34:41,292 Maybe if he finds it, we'll finally know 818 00:34:41,375 --> 00:34:43,208 D.B. Cooper's true identity. 819 00:34:47,750 --> 00:34:49,375 LAURENCE: As amateur investigators continue to study 820 00:34:49,542 --> 00:34:52,125 the D.B. Cooper case in the late 2010s, 821 00:34:52,250 --> 00:34:54,458 some focus on one detail-- 822 00:34:54,542 --> 00:34:57,542 that he's a man with a grudge. 823 00:34:57,708 --> 00:34:59,458 DREW: At some point during the flight, 824 00:34:59,583 --> 00:35:01,875 flight attendant Tina Mucklow asked D.B. Cooper 825 00:35:02,042 --> 00:35:04,000 if he had a grudge against her airline. 826 00:35:04,083 --> 00:35:05,667 And Cooper's response was no, 827 00:35:05,750 --> 00:35:07,000 that he just had a grudge. 828 00:35:07,167 --> 00:35:08,875 Now, if we could just figure out 829 00:35:09,042 --> 00:35:10,708 exactly what D.B. Cooper's grudge was, 830 00:35:10,833 --> 00:35:13,833 it would be a huge clue to ultimately solving this case. 831 00:35:13,958 --> 00:35:17,000 LAURENCE: In 2018, a reporter 832 00:35:17,125 --> 00:35:18,750 for the Oregonian newspaper, 833 00:35:18,875 --> 00:35:22,833 Douglas Perry, announces he's found the answer. 834 00:35:23,000 --> 00:35:24,375 The reporter has been handed 835 00:35:24,500 --> 00:35:26,292 a treasure trove of research 836 00:35:26,417 --> 00:35:28,958 that an army analyst had put together. 837 00:35:29,042 --> 00:35:30,333 The analyst wants to remain anonymous, 838 00:35:30,458 --> 00:35:31,833 and is hesitant of the publicity 839 00:35:32,000 --> 00:35:33,083 that the case might bring him. 840 00:35:33,208 --> 00:35:35,833 He's right-- it makes international headlines. 841 00:35:35,958 --> 00:35:38,417 The analyst has done years of research, and shares it 842 00:35:38,542 --> 00:35:40,667 with both Perry and the FBI. 843 00:35:40,792 --> 00:35:44,167 LAURENCE: According to him, D.B. Cooper didn't act alone. 844 00:35:44,292 --> 00:35:46,708 He believes there's a co-conspirator. 845 00:35:49,250 --> 00:35:51,167 The analyst claims his research began 846 00:35:51,333 --> 00:35:53,333 in the early 2000s. 847 00:35:53,458 --> 00:35:54,958 The analyst reads an obscure book 848 00:35:55,042 --> 00:35:56,958 that was written in 1985. 849 00:35:57,083 --> 00:35:59,000 The book was titled "D.B. Cooper: 850 00:35:59,167 --> 00:36:00,458 What Really Happened." 851 00:36:00,542 --> 00:36:02,958 In the book, the author, Max Gunther, 852 00:36:03,083 --> 00:36:06,042 claims that he received a phone call from D.B. Cooper, 853 00:36:06,208 --> 00:36:08,250 and later, D.B. Cooper's widow. 854 00:36:09,500 --> 00:36:11,042 TRACY: These people outline to Gunther 855 00:36:11,167 --> 00:36:13,125 the real story of what happened, 856 00:36:13,250 --> 00:36:15,958 and the name they give him is Dan LeClair. 857 00:36:16,083 --> 00:36:17,500 DREW: The book gives further details 858 00:36:17,667 --> 00:36:20,125 such as biographical information and birthdays, 859 00:36:20,250 --> 00:36:23,000 so the analyst is able to connect Dan LeClair 860 00:36:23,125 --> 00:36:25,208 with a very real former Army veteran 861 00:36:25,333 --> 00:36:27,333 named Dan Clair. 862 00:36:27,500 --> 00:36:28,833 He thinks that's who called Gunther. 863 00:36:30,125 --> 00:36:31,833 LAURENCE: Clair died in 1990, 864 00:36:31,958 --> 00:36:34,333 and he doesn't resemble the Cooper sketch. 865 00:36:34,417 --> 00:36:37,542 But a colleague of his does. 866 00:36:37,667 --> 00:36:41,083 JOHN: The analyst looks into Clair's family and friends, 867 00:36:41,208 --> 00:36:43,792 and while doing so, he believes he's come up 868 00:36:43,875 --> 00:36:47,167 with a match, a man named William J. Smith. 869 00:36:47,292 --> 00:36:51,000 Smith is a manager at Clair's railyard. 870 00:36:51,167 --> 00:36:52,667 LAURENCE: Smith is a New Jersey native 871 00:36:52,833 --> 00:36:55,833 who graduates high school early to join the Navy. 872 00:36:57,375 --> 00:36:58,833 TRACY: Smith trains as an aerial gunner 873 00:36:58,958 --> 00:37:00,417 and photographer. 874 00:37:00,542 --> 00:37:03,208 His job is to take reconnaissance pictures. 875 00:37:03,375 --> 00:37:06,500 He gets an honorable discharge in 1947, 876 00:37:06,625 --> 00:37:09,167 where he makes his way home to Jersey City 877 00:37:09,250 --> 00:37:13,167 and begins his job at Lehigh Valley Railroad. 878 00:37:13,292 --> 00:37:15,417 In the 1960s, he befriends Dan Clair. 879 00:37:15,542 --> 00:37:17,542 LAURENCE: After working for the railroad 880 00:37:17,708 --> 00:37:21,042 for over 20 years, Smith is eventually promoted 881 00:37:21,167 --> 00:37:23,500 to the position of yard master. 882 00:37:23,583 --> 00:37:25,458 JOHN: It's a management position. 883 00:37:25,542 --> 00:37:28,292 It oversees everything that's going on in the railyard. 884 00:37:28,375 --> 00:37:31,417 TED: There are two key reasons why this is important. 885 00:37:31,542 --> 00:37:32,958 First, Smith would have worn 886 00:37:33,042 --> 00:37:34,333 a tie to work. 887 00:37:34,417 --> 00:37:35,625 Second, he would have been 888 00:37:35,750 --> 00:37:38,500 wearing that tie near the exotic metals 889 00:37:38,625 --> 00:37:41,167 present in the railroad's repair facilities. 890 00:37:41,292 --> 00:37:43,208 This could explain the rare materials 891 00:37:43,333 --> 00:37:45,500 found on D.B. Cooper's tie. 892 00:37:45,625 --> 00:37:47,500 LAURENCE: Could the duo's work with railroads 893 00:37:47,625 --> 00:37:50,000 motivate Cooper's alleged grudge? 894 00:37:50,083 --> 00:37:52,625 In the late 1960s and early '70s, 895 00:37:52,708 --> 00:37:55,333 the railroad industry is in shambles. 896 00:37:55,417 --> 00:37:58,167 The rise in airplane travel and air freight 897 00:37:58,292 --> 00:38:00,417 has crushed their bottom line. 898 00:38:00,542 --> 00:38:03,000 Railroads nationwide are plagued 899 00:38:03,125 --> 00:38:05,167 with wage reductions and furloughs. 900 00:38:05,333 --> 00:38:07,417 DREW: In 1970, this comes to a head 901 00:38:07,542 --> 00:38:09,542 when Smith and Clair's railroad files for bankruptcy. 902 00:38:09,708 --> 00:38:11,875 It ends up being the biggest bankruptcy 903 00:38:12,042 --> 00:38:13,458 in history up till that time, 904 00:38:13,542 --> 00:38:15,667 until the Enron collapse in 2001. 905 00:38:16,667 --> 00:38:18,500 TRACY: Thousands of people lose their jobs, 906 00:38:18,583 --> 00:38:21,583 and many of them lose their life savings and pensions. 907 00:38:22,792 --> 00:38:26,042 LAURENCE: The analyst believes this incites the hijacking. 908 00:38:26,167 --> 00:38:28,375 TED: He doesn't believe Smith and Clair got laid off, 909 00:38:28,542 --> 00:38:31,333 but he does believe that seeing all their coworkers 910 00:38:31,500 --> 00:38:33,917 get laid off did inspire their revenge. 911 00:38:34,042 --> 00:38:37,208 JOHN: They decide to attack the air industry 912 00:38:37,375 --> 00:38:39,667 because that's what's ruining their business. 913 00:38:39,750 --> 00:38:42,583 LAURENCE: The analyst suggests that Smith and Clair 914 00:38:42,708 --> 00:38:45,333 planned the hijacking together. 915 00:38:45,417 --> 00:38:47,917 TED: He thinks they make D.B. Cooper's so-called bomb 916 00:38:48,042 --> 00:38:49,667 out of railroad flares. 917 00:38:49,792 --> 00:38:51,333 These could look a lot like dynamite 918 00:38:51,458 --> 00:38:53,250 when they're wrapped in wire. 919 00:38:53,375 --> 00:38:55,625 LAURENCE: Then, they study rail maps 920 00:38:55,708 --> 00:38:59,583 of the Pacific Northwest to plan the hijacking route. 921 00:38:59,708 --> 00:39:01,958 DREW: It's possible D.B. Cooper chose that flight path 922 00:39:02,042 --> 00:39:03,958 due to his knowledge of where the railroad tracks were 923 00:39:04,042 --> 00:39:05,792 to make an easy getaway. 924 00:39:05,917 --> 00:39:08,917 JOHN: Smith and Clair prep together, 925 00:39:09,042 --> 00:39:11,375 and Smith is the one that actually does the crime, 926 00:39:11,542 --> 00:39:13,500 based on his aviation training. 927 00:39:13,625 --> 00:39:17,292 Smith does look a lot like the sketch of D.B. Cooper. 928 00:39:17,417 --> 00:39:19,167 He may be one of the closest resemblance 929 00:39:19,333 --> 00:39:21,292 of all the suspects. 930 00:39:21,375 --> 00:39:23,833 Maybe even Clair is out there on the night of the hijacking 931 00:39:23,958 --> 00:39:25,792 helping Smith escape. 932 00:39:25,875 --> 00:39:27,542 The analyst noted that Clair retired 933 00:39:27,667 --> 00:39:29,542 a year and a half after the hijacking, 934 00:39:29,708 --> 00:39:31,667 and he was only 54 years old. 935 00:39:31,750 --> 00:39:33,917 Maybe he got his share of the ransom money. 936 00:39:35,542 --> 00:39:37,208 LAURENCE: When Perry writes his story, 937 00:39:37,333 --> 00:39:39,833 he asks the FBI for comment. 938 00:39:40,000 --> 00:39:42,333 The FBI has received the analyst's file 939 00:39:42,458 --> 00:39:44,708 on Smith and Clair, that much we know. 940 00:39:44,833 --> 00:39:48,250 But as far as how seriously the FBI takes them as suspects, 941 00:39:48,375 --> 00:39:50,542 we actually have no idea, 942 00:39:50,708 --> 00:39:54,000 because they give a strangely cryptic response. 943 00:39:54,167 --> 00:39:57,667 They officially close the investigation in 2016, 944 00:39:57,833 --> 00:39:59,292 so they could have just said that, 945 00:39:59,417 --> 00:40:00,833 "We're not looking into them." 946 00:40:01,000 --> 00:40:03,458 Or, like many candidates before him, 947 00:40:03,583 --> 00:40:05,250 they could say Smith isn't the guy, 948 00:40:05,375 --> 00:40:06,833 that he's not D.B. Cooper. 949 00:40:07,000 --> 00:40:08,792 DREW: But that's not what they say. 950 00:40:08,917 --> 00:40:11,458 Instead, they said, quote, "It would be inappropriate 951 00:40:11,583 --> 00:40:13,667 to comment on tips related to Smith." 952 00:40:13,792 --> 00:40:15,625 What does that mean? That's usually the language 953 00:40:15,750 --> 00:40:17,667 used in an active investigation. 954 00:40:17,792 --> 00:40:20,125 TRACY: Sadly, it turns out that Smith died 955 00:40:20,250 --> 00:40:22,417 in January of 2018, 956 00:40:22,542 --> 00:40:24,500 just 10 months before the article was published. 957 00:40:24,625 --> 00:40:26,750 So, we may never know the truth. 958 00:40:26,875 --> 00:40:28,625 DAVE: Maybe the FBI is still looking at William Smith. 959 00:40:28,708 --> 00:40:30,750 Or maybe it's just another red herring 960 00:40:30,875 --> 00:40:32,792 in a case full of red herrings. 961 00:40:35,667 --> 00:40:37,458 The unsolved case continues 962 00:40:37,583 --> 00:40:39,000 to captivate the public 963 00:40:39,083 --> 00:40:40,333 five decades after 964 00:40:40,458 --> 00:40:41,708 the skyjacking took place. 965 00:40:41,875 --> 00:40:45,042 Perhaps someday, one of the many passionate sleuths 966 00:40:45,167 --> 00:40:47,083 still investigating this mystery 967 00:40:47,208 --> 00:40:51,125 will help us discover D.B. Cooper's real name. 968 00:40:51,208 --> 00:40:53,333 I'm Laurence Fishburne. 969 00:40:53,458 --> 00:40:55,042 Thank you for watching 970 00:40:55,208 --> 00:40:57,750 "History's Greatest Mysteries."