The story that can be told from the public record is a Portland boarding, a Seattle ransom and an empty aft stairwell at Reno.
The story American culture prefers is a folk leap into timber. This page keeps the flight number, the recorded bills and the unsolved file.
Beats
- A one-way ticket at Portland
Dan Cooper paid cash for Flight 305, sat aft and, after takeoff, presented a threat the crew treated as a bomb. The demand was money and parachutes, not a diversion to another country at that moment.
- Seattle exchange
The 727 held over Puget Sound until Northwest and the FBI produced $200,000 and four chutes. Passengers left at Sea-Tac. Four crew stayed.
- The night jump
Cooper ordered a southbound flight with gear and flaps down. Crew readings later marked a departure from the aft stairs over southwestern Washington. He was not on the aircraft at Reno.
- NORJAK
The FBI logged serial numbers, searched timber and interviewed widely. The composite sketch became more famous than any charging paper.
- Tena Bar and a closed file
A 1980 river find proved some bills had left Cooper’s bag and reached the Columbia. It did not name him. In 2016 the Bureau stopped active work.
The story that remains honest is unsolved. The nickname is a headline, not a verdict.
Public-record encyclopedia. Not legal advice. Not a how-to. Graphic detail is withheld. Wars belong in a separate atlas.