DB Cooper Case Closed but Not Solved

Case closed.

So, who did it?

Still a mystery.

After nearly 45 years, the FBI has closed its investigation into the mystery of D.B. Cooper, shifting the resources to other investigative priorities.

It was Nov. 24, 1971, and a man only known as D.B. Cooper boarded a Northwest Orient Airlines Flight and hijacked it. Hours later, with $200,000 cash and a parachute, he jumped out of the plane as it headed south.

He has never been found. It is the only unsolved hijacking in United States history.

It is a mystery that has captivated generations as suspects have risen up only to be knocked down.

Originally the FBI thought that Cooper had to be an experienced jumper but then realized no jumper would have left a plane in the rain with 200 mph winds in his face, wearing loafers and a trench coat.

One man who confessed on his deathbed was ruled out by DNA testing.

One possible suspect was eliminated when the FBI concluded he was too skilled a paratrooper.

Another man was ruled out after the FBI was able to determine he was with family in Utah.

The FBI calls it "one of the longest and most exhaustive investigations in our history."

The bureau adds that they "exhaustively reviewed all credible leads, coordinated between multiple field offices to conduct searches, collected all available evidence, and interviewed all identified witnesses.

"Over the years, the FBI has applied numerous new and innovative investigative techniques, as well as examined countless items at the FBI Laboratory."

The evidence collected during the investigation will be preserved for historical purposes at FBI Headquarters, the bureau said.

"Although the FBI appreciated the immense number of tips provided by members of the public, none to date have resulted in a definitive identification of the hijacker," the bureau said.

"In order to solve a case, the FBI must prove culpability beyond a reasonable doubt, and, unfortunately, none of the well-meaning tips or applications of new investigative technology have yielded the necessary proof."

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There have been many theories over the years about who Cooper might have been, but, as the bureau pointed out, none have been proved conclusively.

This much is known:

It was Nov. 24, 1971 and someone the Bureau described as a "nondescript man" went up to the counter of Northwest Orient Airlines in Portland, Oregon to buy a one-way ticket on Flight #305 to Seattle.

Soon after takeoff, the man — wearing a business suit with black tie and white shirt — ordered a bourbon and soda.

Witnesses said he was quiet.

After getting his drink, he handed a note to the stewardess.

He had a bomb in his suitcase and wanted her to sit down.

She did as told.

He opened the case, revealing wires and what appeared to be dynamite.

The man said to take notes, which she did.

She took the note to the captain. The man wanted four parachutes and $200,000 in $20 bills.

Once the flight got to Seattle, the man exchanged the 36 passengers and some of the crew for the money and parachutes.

The plane took off again — headed to Mexico City.

Around 8:00 p.m. — somewhere over Southwest Washington, maybe Clark or Cowlitz county — Cooper jumped out of the plane, taking the money.

He has never been found.

Within five years, the FBI had considered some 800 suspects, eliminating all but about two dozen of them.

In 1980, it thought it caught a big break.

A young boy found a bundle of rotting $5,800 worth of $20s. The serial numbers matched the Cooper money.

But that was it.

Cooper has never been found.