Featured Image Credit: Netflix
Topics: Netflix, TV and Film, US News, True Crime
Poppy Bilderbeck
Netflix has released a new documentary series which examines the unsolved mystery of D.B. Cooper. Catch the trailer here:
More than 50 years ago, a mysterious man hijacked a commercial flight before parachuting from the plane with $200,000 (£167,982). This was after he'd acquired four parachutes, having told a flight attendant he had a bomb on him.
In 2016, the case surrounding the unidentified man, also known as Dan Cooper, was officially closed, having been deemed unsolvable.
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Could a new four-part Netflix docuseries shed any more light on the mystery?
On the afternoon of 24 November 1971 - Thanksgiving eve - a man dressed in a smart business suit, dark glasses and carrying a briefcase boarded a Boeing 727 to Seattle, Washington, from Portland International Airport.
The man - who called himself 'Dan Cooper' - bought a one-way ticket from Northwest Orient Air using cash.
Upon boarding the flight, just after 3pm, he alerted an air stewardess that he was carrying a bomb, showing her the device in his suitcase and telling her to sit next to him.
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In return for not detonating the bomb, Cooper demanded $200,000 in cash, which is worth around $1.4 million (£1.1 million) today.
The skyjacker also requested four parachutes, insinuating he may be taking hostages, and subsequently ruling out the risk of authorities tampering with the devices.
Cooper was given the money upon the plane landing in Seattle and the 36 passengers were also allowed to disembark.
He then ordered the pilot to fly towards Mexico, before strapping himself into a parachute and taking off into the night at around 8pm with the money.
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An investigation was immediately opened by the FBI and searches conducted.
However, Cooper, his parachute and the money were never found. That is until 1980, when a young boy named Brian Ingram uncovered $5,000 in cash near Columbia River.
The FBI confirmed the serial numbers matched those of the ransom money, but they were still at a loss as to what came of Cooper.
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There were a total of over 800 suspects in the case, and all were eliminated bar one.
The favourite suspect was a man named Richard Floyd McCoy who was arrested after he conducted a similar style hijacking five months later.
Alas, McCoy's appearance did not match the description of Cooper provided by the Boeing 727 air staff.
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In July 2016, the FBI branded the case as unsolvable and announced it would be focusing on 'other investigative priorities,' redirecting 'resources allocated to the D.B. Cooper case' elsewhere.
However, while authorities have come to a dead end, the hunt for Cooper continues among true-crime lovers, with multiple websites still active in trying to piece together what happened and whether the skyjacker successfully escaped or ended up dead as a result of his dangerous descent.
Rumours have even been spread of a possible cover-up by the FBI.
The four-part docuseries is rated a certificate of 12 and is just one season.
The synopsis states: "In 1971, a skyjacker parachutes off a plane with a bag of stolen cash — and gets away with it. Decades later, his identity remains a compelling mystery."
The trailer warns: "This case forces you to question your own sanity."
D.B. Cooper: Where Are You?! was released onto Netflix today, 13 July.