After almost fifty years, skyjacker D.B. Cooper’s identity remains a mystery - and despite years of investigations, the question if he’s even alive or dead still hasn’t been solved. However, numerous theories about his fate and real identity have popped up and D. B. Cooper has been the subject of an array of true crime and mystery documentaries. The latest is HBO Max's The Mystery of D.B. Cooper, a documentary that goes over not only the history of the case but a few possible suspects.
On November 24, 1971, a man hijacked a plane, demanded and got US$200,000, and then jumped out of the plane in the middle of the night to an uncertain fate. His calm and collected demeanor along with the daring attitude and escape made him into a sort-of anti-hero, especially because he was never caught. Many people would like to think that D.B. Cooper is still alive somewhere, having enjoyed the money he got. But others aren’t that sure he managed to survive his jump.
Although The Mystery of D.B. Cooper doesn’t go into detail about this theory, the FBI speculated that he might have died after jumping out of the plane. The main arguments of this theory involve the weather (there was a storm), the location (mountainous terrain in the winter), and the wind velocity (172 mph). Another element suggesting Cooper’s demise is the fact that he apparently did not recognize a training parachute and was willing to jump without a helmet and wearing loafers and a trench coat. Although Cooper showcased knowledge of airplanes and flying, he might not have been an experienced skydiver. All these clues point to the possibility that Cooper did not survive the jump.
However, other theories assume he did manage to land safely. Some speculated he was, indeed, an experienced paratrooper because he displayed knowledge only CIA paramilitary units would know (flap settings, aft airstair, and how to control the airspeed and altitude of a plane without going into the cockpit and risking being overpowered). One of the biggest clues that indicate Cooper might’ve survived is mentioned in the HBO Max documentary: the discovery of a few bills washed into the Columbia River at the Tena Bar beachfront. Analysis of the recovered bills suggests that the money entered the water at least several months after the hijacking.
But the bills don’t confirm his survival, as they might have found their way into the river without his intervention. If he did land safely, Cooper would now be in his 80s or early 90s, so it's possible that he has already died of some other condition. The suspects discussed in The Mystery of D.B. Cooper, with the possible exception of LD Cooper, are all deceased. Without more material evidence available, D.B. Cooper’s identity will likely remain another unsolved mystery.
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