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Queerasfck
08-01-2011, 10:37 AM
Good morning people! For those of you who love a mystery the story of DB Cooper is one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in America.

He's considered the "Bigfoot of Pacific Northwest" (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/8667855/The-40-year-mystery-of-Americas-greatest-skyjacking.html). Although I was only eight years old when it happened in 1971 I followed the story with great interest for years. I had ordered this book at school thru Scholastic

http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170969915l/79610.jpg and was totally taken with DB Cooper's story also the Lizzie Borden chapter gave me nightmares but I couldn't put it down.


For those of you who don't know who DB Cooper was basically the story goes like this:

On the night before Thanksgiving of 1971, a man who called himself Dan Cooper (a reporter working for one of the wire services misheard the name of the hijacker and ever since then he has been referred to as DB Cooper, instead of Dan) wearing a dark suit and raincoat, walked up to the Northwest Orient desk at Portland's airport and bought $20 on a one-way ticket to Seattle.

When he got on the plane he kept his dark sunglasses on, ordered a whiskey, lit up a cigarette and coolly handed the stewardess a note. In capital letters, it read:

I HAVE A BOMB IN MY BRIEFCASE. I WILL USE IT IF NECESSARY. I WANT YOU TO SIT NEXT TO ME. YOU ARE BEING HIJACKED.


He wanted a mere $200,000, four parachutes and in return he'd allow 36 people to leave the plane when they landed in Seattle. The FBI was contacted and was willing to do the swap and quickly the plane took off again after the passengers were released. On board now with just the pilot, co-pilot, one stewardess and Cooper. Cooper ordered the pilot to head towards Mexico and maintain the attitude of 100,000 feet.

Then, somewhere over the Cascade mountains, about 25 miles from Portland, Cooper opened the door, stepped out, and, with one of the parachutes on his back jumped into the rainy night and was never seen or heard from again!!

Authorities searched for him but never found a trace of Cooper or the money. Then in 1980 an eight year old boy found some of the money-- $6,000 and three parachutes.

Today the FBI announced they have a new lead! A mysterious tip is being checked against the DNA evidence the FBI already has. The FBI will not say whether the new suspect is alive or dead. They have already investigated 1,000 people some living and some dead in hopes of solving the only unsolved hijacking case in American history.

It's pretty fascinating to me and he's always seemed pretty bad ass. I've always been into the DB Cooper mystery although I have to say today I am not as "into" him because I found out it he was wearing clip-on tie. What a downer, you think you know someone.



http://i.cdn.turner.com/trutv/trutv.com/graphics/photos/criminal_mind/scams/DB_Cooper/1-1-Sketch-of-DB-Cooper.jpg

The_Lady_Snow
08-01-2011, 10:45 AM
Clip-on for realz? He's not so dapper now, it would be hella cool if the guy was still around!!!

Queerasfck
08-01-2011, 10:47 AM
Clip-on for realz? He's not so dapper now, it would be hella cool if the guy was still around!!!

He may still be alive somewhere. But probably not on Butch Femme Planet. Heh.

Maybe it's Daywalker!

Dreams
08-01-2011, 10:52 AM
ummmm...nevermind..

The_Lady_Snow
08-01-2011, 10:54 AM
He may still be alive somewhere. But probably not on Butch Femme Planet. Heh.

Maybe it's Daywalker!

OMG Let's compare!!!

http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2007/december/cooper112406b.jpg

http://sirdaywalker.com/wp-content/themes/the-last-fall/images//header.png

Mister Bent
08-01-2011, 12:30 PM
The 1980 Copycat (http://www.check-six.com/Crash_Sites/NWA305-DBCooper.htm)

On July 11, 1980, a Cooper copycat - right down to the mirrored aviator sunglasses - attempted to hijack a Boeing 727, Northwest Flight 608 abound for Portland, at the Seattle Airport as it was taxiing. He claimed to have a bomb and demanded a ransom of $100,000 and two parachutes.

A quick-thinking stewardess slipped three Valiums into Tripp's drink, and the plane never left the ground. During the ten hour standoff, Tripp lowered his demands, and released all 52 of the passengers, settling for three cheeseburgers and a demand to be driven from the airport in a rental car by the two pilots left with him.

When the on-scene FBI negotiator, Ron Beiner, said the cheeseburgers would take awhile, Tripp responded, "Forget the cheeseburgers. You said before you'd get the plane and you didn't, so you'd better get the car — this is your last chance."

The car arrived, and moments later Tripp came down the steps. In seconds he was jumped by three FBI agents hiding under the plane. The briefcase was shoved up against his chest and snatched away. Later, it was revealed that the suitcase had no bomb - only a jacket.

If At First You Don't Succeed...

However, on January 21, 1983, while on probation for his 1980 skyjacking attempt, Tripp tried again - hijacking the same flight, Northwest Flight 608, as it approached Portland International Airport from Seattle. This time, he was armed with a shoebox, and he was only demanding to be flown to Afghanistan.

He had agreed to unload half of the 35 passengers, who were exiting the plane via the exit ramp, as two FBI agents, standing on shoulders of others, climbed through the cockpit windows. Surprised, Tripp made a sudden motion with the box as if to throw it at the agent, and the agent fired a single shot from his .38 caliber revolver, killing Tripp instantly, and ending the three hour standoff.


Am I the only one wondering why the flight attendant had Valium handy?

dark_crystal
08-01-2011, 02:43 PM
Am I the only one wondering why the flight attendant had Valium handy?



weellll, i carry it and i'm just a librarian!

i wish he coulda got those cheeseburgers :'(

Thinker
08-01-2011, 03:38 PM
Am I the only one wondering why the flight attendant had Valium handy?

They were pretty accessible back in the day. I remember my mother having a full bottle at all times in her top dresser drawer.

My brothers knew they were there too. :|

/derail

I've been interested in the DB Cooper case for a long time too! Looking forward to hearing more about their latest lead...