D.B.Kuper - enemy of the state or the idol of the people (12 photos) Bashny.Net

Looking through the series here called "Prison Break" (by the way, I advise everyone who has not watched. Speech on American film, not the national tracing paper), I noticed (and I'm not alone) a character, which all the others responded with a kind of reverence, calling him not only as DB Cooper. And it is not just a literary device. Not just once or twice I was faced with the fact that this person is perceived on the other side of the Atlantic as one of the most famous adventurers, whose history is surrounded with an aura of mystery and whose name has become a legend. Does this name anything you, my dear reader? This is, of course, yes, but also most emphatically not. And the story is interesting enough, and if you do not mind, I will try to outline its present here.

photograph of what we call D.B.Kuper






So, it all began November 24, 1971 at the airport in Portland, Oregon USA. To the front of Northwest Airlines approached by a man of medium height with thinning hair, 40 years old, named Dan Cooper and asked for a ticket to Seattle, Washington. Paid for the ticket $ 20 (with tax) and won a seat on the flight 18 C № 305. The distance between these cities is low and the flight itself was supposed to last about 40 minutes. In the 14-50 local time aboard took off and after 10 minutes with the passenger seats 18 C ordered a glass of bourbon. When the flight attendant Florence Schaffner has brought him a glass, he handed her a note and persistently asked her to read it. The girl has deployed a paper square and saw written in capital letters marker pen message: "I have a bomb in a briefcase. If necessary, I am ready to explode. I want you to sit next to me. This robbery ».

Stewardess Florence Schaffner


The girl obeyed and sat down beside him and asked to show the bomb. Those who are called D.B.Kuperom opened a small bag that held on his lap and showed him the contents of the flight attendant. That saw the 8 round objects (4 top and bottom) of attached wires with white insulation to something similar to a power source. Showing the bomb, the passenger seats with 18 C began listing their demands: In Seattle, it must pass 200 thousand dollars 20-dollar bills (instead of 1 (5) million as narrated in the film "Escape") and four parachutes (two main and two replacement), as well as to fill the aircraft, the tanker should already at the airport, and wasting time is not necessary. Florence gave these requirements the aircraft commander, who in turn, is connected to the ground, was instructed to follow the requirements of a potential thief. Crew commander said on speakerphone that the aircraft because of technical problems make the airport a couple of laps and delayed landing. A person who is known by the name of DB Cooper reported that the time necessary to fulfill its requirements. In the 7-25 local time the pilot through the flight attendant said that the requirements are met, and passengers with 18 gave permission for landing and 15 minutes later the plane landed at the airport in the city of Seattle Tacoma. The one we know as DB Cooper moved into the cockpit and asked her to turn off the light in order to control the aircraft and approach to be invisible to the police snipers. To the stern ramp and he brought the bag 4 and transmitted via parachute flight attendants. The money is not the police bromide, but to film. Most of them have had the serial numbers of notes beginning with the letter L, and they were printed in 1969, branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. Checking money "passenger 18 From" allowed to release the other passengers (36), which even close unaware of the dramatic events surrounding this flight stewardess Florence Schaffner and senior flight attendant Alice Hancock, but asked to replace parachutes. Instead of presenting military options, he requested a civilian parachutes, with a particular model.

The same one of 10,000 banknotes $ 20 transferred mysterious criminal


On board the ship remained commander William Scott, co-pilot William Ratajczak, flight engineer KE Andersen and stewardess Tina Mac Low. In the cockpit, the man we know as DB Cooper gathered them together and laid out his plan: After refueling, they should at the rate south of Mexico City at a height of not more than 3000 meters, with a maximum speed of 190 km / h. To ensure such a low speed, he ordered to leave vypushennyh chassis, and flaps to keep an angle of 15 degrees. To ensure the regime altitude, he said that has altimeter, and clearly will oversee its indicator, and demanded that the cockpit was not hermetically sealed in order to avoid the temptation to climb higher. Copilot Ratajczak said that the Boeing 727-100, in principle, not be able to get to Mexico because of the limited range of flight only 3000 km, and at the desired characteristics of the fuel is not enough for more than 1,600 km. To which the man we know as DB Cooper said that they will sit in Reno, Nevada to refuel. In a straight line from Seattle to Reno was somewhere around 900 km, but the planned route "passenger C-18" gets a little more.

Stewardess Tina Mac Low


After dinner, he demanded for himself and for the crew, and rejected any attempts to start talks with him. The authorities tried to tighten the flight, citing problems with the tanker and to attempt to pull the thief on the negotiations, but the one on the contact flatly refused to go, and the replacement tanker took quite calmly. Finally, at 7-40 pm the plane was refueled and got permission to take off. Simultaneously with the nearest airbase MakHord in the air rose 2 fighter interceptor Convair F-106 Delta Dart, one of whom began to follow a bit higher and the other slightly below the Boeing 727-100, as well as old training Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star of the National Guard, which True soon run out of fuel, and he had to go to the gas station.

couple Convair F-106 Delta Dart in the sky USA


Around 7-50, a man whom we know under the name of DB Cooper asked the stewardess Tina Mac Low to join the crew in the cockpit and in any case not to open the door to landing in Reno or until further instructions from the DB Cooper. Heading into the cabin, flight attendant noticed that the hijacker something is tied around his waist. At about 8:00 in the cockpit load signal the opening of the rear ramp (a Boeing 727 at the rear of the fuselage has a folding boarding ladder, such as the Yak-40 and Yak-42). Approximately 8-13 aircraft swayed slightly. When 2 hours landed in Reno and Commander Scott intercom asked for further instructions, then there was no answer. Select from the cockpit and pulled up the police found an empty passenger compartment and open the passenger gangway. Inside, there were 2 parachute, and one of them were cut off lines. Request was accompanied by F-106 gave nothing - they did not notice anything, as both were not designed for this, plus at that time was very bad weather. In general, then all that is known about this case.

the same board in Reno


Then, of course, began vanity search and detection of money and the offender. Needless to say, it was all useless?
At first, the police carefully ransacked the entire aircraft. Found 66 fingerprints, do not belong to the passengers and crew. At the base they had nothing. In addition, the robber was inexplicably left in the plane with a pearl tie clip and eight cigarette butts Raleigh.
Then there was a behavioral experiment, and at about such parameters based on the estimated time of the bailout by the authorities was dropped cargo parachute and landing place it carefully examined. It was hilly and wooded area, far from shelter and severe enough. Nothing was found. The country was on the ears of the mysterious unfamiliarity. Fueled interest and interviews with the flight attendants and flight crew members number 305, which unanimously pointed out that the so-called DB Cooper does not look like a common criminal, because he was polite, friendly, absolutely not aggressive or rude, and most importantly not nervous. The United States has a new hero. Further inflamed the people some letter, which came 3 weeks after the incident, the newspaper "Los Angeles Times". Although the most famous "kuperovedy" considered it a forgery, it most clearly relished. Here is the text: "I'm not a modern Robin Hood - it said. - Unfortunately, I have to live only fourteen months. Hijacking was for me the fastest and most profitable way to ensure that the last days of his life. I robbed the airline is not because he thought such a step romantic or heroic. For such nonsense, I would never have gone to such a huge risk. I do not blame the people who hate me for my actions, do not blame those who wanted to see me caught and punished, the more that this will never happen I have no doubt that I will not get caught. I have flown several times on different routes I'm not going to lie at the bottom of some old lost in the backwoods town. And do not think I'm a psychopath: in my entire life I have not even received a fine for parking ».

Rear ladder on a Boeing 727-100


FBI literally "land of the snout," he mighty George. Hey (Hoover) wanted to find the perpetrator and punish him, it was even announced a reward for information about the robber. But again, to no avail. As a result, the case was closed, and the offender found dead (drowned or broken).
Suddenly, in 1980, a 8-year old boy Brian Ingram on the shore of the Columbia River found 290 old, faded twenty-dollar bills and examination numbers confirmed that these are the same - Cooper. Boom, several poutihshy rose with renewed vigor. Enthusiasts have begun to explore the coast and the river bottom and the largest reservoirs. For many others find was confirmation that the DB Cooper is dead. But it's not just with the money, some of which (15 banknotes) family Ingram sold at auction in 2008 for 37,000 dollars.

Brian Ingram


Not abated passion then, for the next 2 years there have been at least 17 such actions by the imitators, they do not cease now. Written many books, there are a lot of enthusiasts, there is even a list of prospective DB Cooper, of which there are officially 9 people. But in fact, people still do not know nothing about the man himself, not about how his fate. Do not know his name - he called himself Dan Cooper, but it is unlikely that name now. Was a version of that so he called himself after the hero of the little-known comic strip about a parachutist, is available in Europe after the war. DB Cooper called him by mistake one of the reporters. Immediately after the famous flight of the police began to look for people with the initials D. Cooper, and the first man in Oregon had the initials DB Cooper. A local journalist did not understand and trumpeted to the world that are looking for exactly DB Cooper, not Dan Cooper, since the error in flux. Not known for his age, status and even nationality. Nothing is known.

character obscure Belgian Comic Strip Dan Cooper


We can only speculate. Now, almost '21 difficult to restore the truth, but to think is interesting.
I believe that what we call the DB Cooper survived the jump. He was all calculated and prepared. He knew when, how and what for. He understood the aircraft, flying with a parachute, knew the local geography and weather conditions, versed in psychology and counted the authorities at 2 steps forward. Can not help feeling that it was necessary to dig in the archives of the State of Washington and Oregon, which was associated with unusual things 2 - Happy Thanksgiving (since November 24 was just before the holiday) and the sum of 200 000 dollars. I was most surprised by exactly this amount - no more and no less. How Come? It could be to find the answer. And I believe that the man known as DB Cooper gave a lot of "beacons" to the case was solved. Why he left his tie and cigarette butts, while taking note with the threat of explosion? Why did he not leave fingerprints, or vice versa leave other people? Why several times during the flight he wore dark glasses and shot? Why he had 4 parachute particular model if it took only 2 of them, and one spoiled? A murky story of the boy found the money as soon as I said that in 1980 he was still alive, and gave another "beacon" to find him. Why do I think so? Because the money in this place just could not appear. No ... bringing their version of the river, or that they learned excavator, far-fetched and does not stand up to scrutiny. Plus another important point - gum that money was tied, were not injured, unlike banknotes themselves, and for the first 9 years of them should not have been left virtually nothing.



Material evidence in the case - with a tie clasp and the remains of the money found Ingram

With all of these input and analyze them together, perhaps one could find the so-called DB Cooper, the more so because, apparently, he would have wanted. Maybe ...