[Mister Bent]

The 1980 Copycat

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?