D.B. Cooper Parachute Found in WA

Skyjacker History Mystery May be Solved with Parachute Evidence

Mar 26, 2008

Famous Skyjacker D.B. Cooper may have landed via parachute in Clark County, Washington near or in the town of Amboy, WA where kids found a tattered half-buried parachute.

Has the parachute of the infamous skyjacker D.B. Cooper been found in rural Amboy, Washington? Many believe it's possible. This week, after children found a tattered half-buried parachute on their property, they called the FBI, thinking they may have found evidence of the infamous skyjacking crime.

History of the D.B. Cooper Skyjacking Mystery

On Nov. 24, 1971, the day before Thanksgiving, Northwest Orient Flight 305 took off from Portland, Oregon toward Seattle, Washington. As the airplane prepared for takeoff, a man wearing sunglasses handed a flight attendant a note. It said he had a bomb and would blow up the plane unless he was given $200,000 cash and four parachutes upon landing. This man, from Seat 18C, purchased his ticket under the name "Dan Cooper" (He was later mistakenly identified as D.B. Cooper by a reporter).

After the requested parachutes and money were delivered at the Seattle-Tacoma Airport, "Dan Cooper" released the passengers and two members of the flight crew. He ordered the pilot and remaining crew to fly to Mexico. Later, at 10,000 feet, with strong winter winds gusting and freezing rain pounding, Dan Cooper parachuted out of the airplane and into history.

Following was one of the most extensive manhunts in American history. For five months, federal, state, and local police searched the forests north of Portland, where Cooper was presumed to have landed. But were they looking in the wrong place?

Amboy, Washington is a tiny forested town an hour north of Portland. The town consists of a medium-sized grocery store, a saw shop, a liquor store, a cafe, a saloon, a fire station, a gas station, a small museum, a post office, a park, a restaurant with pool tables and beer (a frequent stop for traveling bikers), and an espresso and ice cream drive-thru. Drive a bit farther and the other side of town consists of a grange building, a school, an auto parts center, a hair salon, a sandwich and pizza shop, a gym, the Amboy Hardware Store, and a church. When driving through Amboy on Highway 503, don't blink twice or the town will zip by.

Amboy is not known for a whole lot. It has a rich history of logging and some wonderful old-time and newcomer residents. From nearby Chelatchie Prairie, one gets a lovely view of the infamous volcano, Mount St. Helens. Once a year, in July, Amboy hosts its Territorial Days (complete with a parade). At other times, there are Easter egg hunts, a Native American Encampment, antique car shows, a Christmas Festival of the Trees, and other fun small-town events. Travel a bit farther on Highway 503 and one will eventually reach the top of the county and find beautiful lakes, Lake Merwin and Yale Lake.

Ariel, Washington and D.B. Cooper

In Ariel, 20 miles northwest of Amboy, the Ariel Store has an annual D.B. Cooper party. In November, it will be 37 years since the skyjacking. Now they are planning a parachute theme for their D.B. Cooper party.

The Associated Press reports that retired FBI agent Ralph Himmelsbach, who once worked the Cooper case, said he doubts the parachute remnant found "could be the nylon parachute Cooper carried when he jumped into poor conditions over rough terrain. Lying in the mud, mostly wet," he said, "would not be the kind of environment that would be good for a parachute," although he did not know how a parachute ended up in the area.

The copyright of the article D.B. Cooper Parachute Found in WA in Crime is owned by Janienne Jennrich. Permission to republish D.B. Cooper Parachute Found in WA in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.