DB Cooper

[monk71 2]

In a recent video 4/13/25, Ryan says (at 5:35) "there is no profile of D.B. Cooper."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jLoSXBdpf0

This answers a question that I've had. It seems that the FBI was using various attributes inconsistently. Any profile can also be doubted based on differences in eyewitnesses.

How are suspects eliminated? Obviously if they don't match the supposed profile, but what if only one point is off?

Many 302s have hand-written ELIMINATE, but there is no reason. Was the FBI just sloppy, or is there some master suspect file that hasn't been released yet?

[FLYJACK 743]

41 minutes ago, monk71 said:

In a recent video 4/13/25, Ryan says (at 5:35) "there is no profile of D.B. Cooper."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jLoSXBdpf0

This answers a question that I've had. It seems that the FBI was using various attributes inconsistently. Any profile can also be doubted based on differences in eyewitnesses.

How are suspects eliminated? Obviously if they don't match the supposed profile, but what if only one point is off?

Many 302s have hand-written ELIMINATE, but there is no reason. Was the FBI just sloppy, or is there some master suspect file that hasn't been released yet?

Not sure what Ryan is thinking,,  Yes, there is a profile in part #95, starts on page 247 and outlines "INVESTIGATIVE STEPS TO PROCESS NORJAK SUSPECTS"

The PROFILE starts with this disclaimer then outlines it..

 

 

Elimination isn't final,, I remember reading of a suspect who was eliminated but later re-evaluated as a suspect.

Bottom line, an eliminated suspect not based on facts isn't really eliminated.

[FLYJACK 743]

In Ryan's newest vid he is still flogging the bogus flightpath map using Cunningham's false times..  Do not ACCEPT those altered times. Challenge these guys, don't let them spread false information. This nonsense undermines the case. Sunk cost fallacy...

He is still pushing the wrong jumpzone... Cooper jumped about 8:11. There is ZERO evidence for Orchards/Battleground. It is a baseless opinion.

Ryan is minimizing Skip Hall's extreme wrinkles.. says "we are looking for forehead wrinkles", as if Skip's are a plus.  NO, Ryan is being deceptive, Skip has extreme forehead wrinkles and severe wrinkles from around his eyes down his face.. not normal or average wrinkles Cooper had. Skip also has several noticeable lumps/bumps on his face..  These are so unique and obvious he is eliminated because no witness mentioned them.. Skip is eliminated and not a legit suspect.

"Plausible" suspect's.. NOPE.

Plausible definition -  seeming likely to be true, or able to be believed: 

Most of those suspect's Ryan named are not plausible. There was only one Cooper so logically most are not plausible. Ryan is positioning suspect's to fit the term "plausible", they are not.

Letters.... I believe two letters were from Cooper, one more highly likely and another maybe...  Very hard to prove though.

Parachutes... Cooper used the 1960 24' and left the 1957 26', took the newer. Parachutes of different sizes can be made to have the same descent rate, not that Cooper would necessarily know that. Cossey actually claimed the 26 and 28ft chutes had the same descent rate, but he was mistaken/lying about the chutes.. there is no credible evidence that the container Cooper used was an NB6 or NB8 per Cossey.

The tie... I now believe, based on my own evidence that Cooper left the tie behind because it was obtained just prior to and only used for the hijacking.. he did not leave it by accident and it wasn't from a thrift shop.

 

Edited Thursday at 02:22 PM by FLYJACK

[FLYJACK 743]

Ryan hinted at a new suspect,,,  is it Frank Lawrence Sprenz perhaps.

Interesting guy.. not Cooper, too high profile a criminal wore a toupee, was previously on FBI top 10, had a 1" scar on face and crooked finger, was paroled in 1971 but returned to crime. Implicated in death's sent back to prison, actually died in custody,,  but never mentioned Cooper.

Does not fit Cooper's profile. Another guy with a very high profile interesting background that gets flogged as Cooper...   

Cooper was a forgettable nobody.... not a master criminal on the FBI 10 most wanted, not implicated in the Kennedy assassination or murdering his family.... not a super badass paratrooper, not a Physician Astronaut, not a PHD metallurgist working on the Manhattan Project. Picking these guys with interesting stories makes for good hype and discussion but they are not Cooper.

Cooper was a lifelong loser, loner and underachiever, he did this for the money and to prove he could do something others had not...  

 

Edited Thursday at 03:13 PM by FLYJACK

[olemisscub 525]

13 hours ago, monk71 said:

In a recent video 4/13/25, Ryan says (at 5:35) "there is no profile of D.B. Cooper."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jLoSXBdpf0

This answers a question that I've had. It seems that the FBI was using various attributes inconsistently. Any profile can also be doubted based on differences in eyewitnesses.

How are suspects eliminated? Obviously if they don't match the supposed profile, but what if only one point is off?

Many 302s have hand-written ELIMINATE, but there is no reason. Was the FBI just sloppy, or is there some master suspect file that hasn't been released yet?

Don't want to lead you astray here. In videos I'm not always able to articulate my thoughts fully or I say things rather clumsily. There is an FBI profile created by Charlie Farrell in 72. I've got an entire chapter in my book devoted to the Farrell/Cooper profile. I'll link Farrell's profile in full below. What I was meaning in the video is that there is no agreed upon profile of Cooper among the Cooper "community" when analyzing suspects, nor is there anything remotely close. Cooper is a bit of a Rorschach test when it comes to suspects. You can interpret the evidence in any way you see fit in order to shoehorn a particular suspect into being Cooper. This is the great difficulty with Cooper. There is some evidence that could lead you to think he's super smart and also evidence that could make you think he's a bumbling crook.

He's a true enigma. A good example of this is that I wouldn't fall out of my chair if I found out that a brilliant guy like Roman was the hijacker but I also wouldn't fall out of my chair if it turned out that some dope like LD Cooper was the hijacker. I've gone back and forth many times and what I expect Cooper to be, but my current understanding of the case makes me lean toward him just being a low-rent crook with a capacity for divergent thinking and a big set of balls. I do think he had some sort of aviation background though. We can see with Paul Cini what it looks like when someone without an aviation background tries to do this. It's ugly. 

As for other profiles of Cooper, the one suggested by Dr. David Hubbard, author of “The Skyjacker”, isn't bad. He was a psychologist who interviewed close to one hundred hijackers during the 1960’s and 1970’s. Hubbard’s experience and training led him to assess Cooper's profile thusly: “As an individual, he was a personal failure who had lost the capability of earning a living in our society. In actual fact, Cooper was an early middle-aged mentally deteriorated ex-aircraft pilot. He had flown in the Vietnam War, and undoubtedly had taken part in the airdrops in which the tailgate of a 727 was used for dropping materiel."

Not sure I agree with him about Cooper having flown in Vietnam (he seems a little old for that), but the rest is pretty close. 

 

 

Cooper-Profile.pdf

Edited Thursday at 04:14 PM by olemisscub

[olemisscub 525]

1 hour ago, FLYJACK said:

Cooper was a lifelong loser, loner and underachiever, he did this for the money and to prove he could do something others had not...  

Pop the champagne. We agree on something. Joseph Henry Johnston is probably the closest template for Cooper out there IMO. 

And no it's not Frank. I don't think this new suspect is Cooper, but the researcher has put a lot of effort into him, so I'll be glad to support his suspect reveal. This suspect is the closest match to Bing I've ever seen. I didn't think it was possible to get someone to be a closer match to Bing than Burnworth, but here we are. 

[FLYJACK 743]

1 hour ago, olemisscub said:

Pop the champagne. We agree on something. Joseph Henry Johnston is probably the closest template for Cooper out there IMO. 

And no it's not Frank. I don't think this new suspect is Cooper, but the researcher has put a lot of effort into him, so I'll be glad to support his suspect reveal. This suspect is the closest match to Bing I've ever seen. I didn't think it was possible to get someone to be a closer match to Bing than Burnworth, but here we are. 

That would eliminate all those high profile so called "suspects"... Cooper did not look like the BING sketch.

I have been trying to figure out or establish Cooper's head shape... some witnesses said oval... The sketch looks oval,, but everyone has a triangular shape.. you can claim triangular but is there a standard criteria for head shape?

So, I looked for some "official" or consensus on head shape. There doesn't seem to be. 

It is too subjective to be of value,, unless the head shape is dramatically obvious. 

I found a measurement system and it was inconclusive for sketch B.

Then tried AI online evaluations..  mixed...  and unreliable.

 

 

 

Conclusion,, Face shape is mixed and not reliable enough... very subjective and AI sucks.

Edited Thursday at 05:42 PM by FLYJACK

[CooperNWO305 157]

59 minutes ago, olemisscub said:

Don't want to lead you astray here. In videos I'm not always able to articulate my thoughts fully or I say things rather clumsily. There is an FBI profile created by Charlie Farrell in 72. I've got an entire chapter in my book devoted to the Farrell/Cooper profile. I'll link Farrell's profile in full below. What I was meaning in the video is that there is no agreed upon profile of Cooper among the Cooper "community" when analyzing suspects, nor is there anything remotely close. Cooper is a bit of a Rorschach test when it comes to suspects. You can interpret the evidence in any way you see fit in order to shoehorn a particular suspect into being Cooper. This is the great difficulty with Cooper. There is some evidence that could lead you to think he's super smart and also evidence that could make you think he's a bumbling crook.

He's a true enigma. A good example of this is that I wouldn't fall out of my chair if I found out that a brilliant guy like Roman was the hijacker but I also wouldn't fall out of my chair if it turned out that some dope like LD Cooper was the hijacker. I've gone back and forth many times and what I expect Cooper to be, but my current understanding of the case makes me lean toward him just being a low-rent crook with a capacity for divergent thinking and a big set of balls. I do think he had some sort of aviation background though. We can see with Paul Cini what it looks like when someone without an aviation background tries to do this. It's ugly. 

As for other profiles of Cooper, the one suggested by Dr. David Hubbard, author of “The Skyjacker”, isn't bad. He was a psychologist who interviewed close to one hundred hijackers during the 1960’s and 1970’s. Hubbard’s experience and training led him to assess Cooper's profile thusly: “As an individual, he was a personal failure who had lost the capability of earning a living in our society. In actual fact, Cooper was an early middle-aged mentally deteriorated ex-aircraft pilot. He had flown in the Vietnam War, and undoubtedly had taken part in the airdrops in which the tailgate of a 727 was used for dropping materiel."

Not sure I agree with him about Cooper having flown in Vietnam (he seems a little old for that), but the rest is pretty close. 

 

 

Cooper-Profile.pdf 518.43 kB · 0 downloads

How many hijackers were actual pilots? To me a pilot indicates that they were likely an officer in the military. Not exclusively, but typically. And if they became a pilot as a civilian in 1971, then that might indicate they had money or resources, as well as intelligence. 
 

If this is the same FBI profile I’m looking at, they say Cooper was a high school graduate with some college, but also listed as executive type. I don’t put executive type as being someone with just a little college. 
 

My issue is that both Vordahl and Hall have been touted using just portions of the profile. If using this profile, then it makes sense to use the whole thing when referencing suspects. 

[olemisscub 525]

3 minutes ago, CooperNWO305 said:

How many hijackers were actual pilots? To me a pilot indicates that they were likely an officer in the military. Not exclusively, but typically. And if they became a pilot as a civilian in 1971, then that might indicate they had money or resources, as well as intelligence. 
 

Not many. McCoy, of course, was a pilot. Frank Sibley was an actual 727 pilot. Those are the only ones I can think of. 

That profile is mostly OK, but it gets quite a few things wrong fwiw, is sometimes contradictory, and goes against what the FBI themselves stated that they believed on a few occasions.  

It says Cooper didn't offer to tip the stews with ransom money, but used his own money. We know that's not true. 

It says Cooper smoke eight cigarettes in eight hours. Cooper had seven cigarettes and was only on the plane for just over five hours. They extrapolate that he was a one-pack a day smoker because of this. They're neglecting that he actually smoked all seven in under three hours. There is no indication that he was smoking at any point after they landed in Seattle. 

It says he jumped with the dummy chute and they imply he should have known it was a dummy chute if he knew parachutes, yet I think it's reasonable and safe to say that he did not jump with the dummy chute intending for it be a reserve chute. The FBI themselves state elsewhere that they think he just tossed it out of the back. 

It says he became "somewhat childish in his actions and comments while counting the money." Yet Tina says Cooper never counted the money and also I think they are taking Flo's "childish" comment out of context. 

It says that he was not an experienced criminal because of how he acted when he received the ransom money but then it says he exhibited an "unusually calm manner throughout the whole hijacking." 

It says that the hijacker was "not well prepared for the hijacking", but makes no mention of the mystery bag being a foil to such an idea. 

It says that the hijacker engaged in a small argument with one of the passengers. Not true. 

A few weeks ago I asked John Douglas if they ever had him create a Cooper profile and he said he didn't. Would have been interesting to see his. Although honestly, Cooper's profile is just really hard to pin down given how little he said, how few people saw him, and what he left behind. 

 

[FLYJACK 743]

Everyone approaches the Cooper case as a normal crime...  as the only unsolved hijacking it is extraordinary and something extraordinary happened for it to remain unsolved for so long..  for example Cooper died in the jump... I think that is extremely unlikely but something unique happened, an error, a mistake, luck or something significant occurred for this case to remain unsolved by the FBI. Distributing sketch A as Cooper perhaps..  something big undermined this case.

Trying to solve this as a regular crime won't cut it. That didn't work for the FBI and it won't work now.

In 1976 the FBI concluded that there is no prosecution without Cooper's cooperation due to weak evidence and faded witnesses.. Cooper is dead by now, evidence isn't much better, DNA is a dead end, fingerprints were unlikely Cooper's and obfuscated. The palm print is possibly Cooper's. So, how is this thing ever solved 100%...  

 

 

 

Edited Thursday at 06:37 PM by FLYJACK

[Robert99 53]

2 hours ago, olemisscub said:

 I've got an entire chapter in my book . . . .

Has your book been published?  If so, where is it listed?

I haven't found anything resembling such a book.

[FLYJACK 743]

7 hours ago, Robert99 said:

Has your book been published?  If so, where is it listed?

I haven't found anything resembling such a book.

Ryan's book isn't available yet..

[monk71 2]

I seem to remember Tina Mucklow describing the hijacker as sad or having sadness, as though she had pity for him to some degree. I have searched but can only find her describing the whole situation as sad and the case being closed as sad, but not him personally.

I already know about these compiled statements:

“He wasn't nervous.

 He seemed rather nice.

 He was never cruel or nasty.

 He was thoughtful and calm all the time."

Also: polite, and well-spoken.

I also know that she prayed for him. If anyone can find (maybe in the 302s) where she had pity on him described him as sad or something similar, I'd appreciate it.

Maybe I am mis-remembering or maybe it was a myth I read.

[FLYJACK 743]

7 hours ago, monk71 said:

I seem to remember Tina Mucklow describing the hijacker as sad or having sadness, as though she had pity for him to some degree. I have searched but can only find her describing the whole situation as sad and the case being closed as sad, but not him personally.

I already know about these compiled statements:

“He wasn't nervous.

 He seemed rather nice.

 He was never cruel or nasty.

 He was thoughtful and calm all the time."

Also: polite, and well-spoken.

I also know that she prayed for him. If anyone can find (maybe in the 302s) where she had pity on him described him as sad or something similar, I'd appreciate it.

Maybe I am mis-remembering or maybe it was a myth I read.

Not that I recall..

There was that Coffelt propaganda article claiming Flo,,, mentioned "sad". That article is riddled with errors.

 

[CooperNWO305 157]

On 4/17/2025 at 11:04 AM, FLYJACK said:

Does not fit Cooper's profile. Another guy with a very high profile interesting background that gets flogged as Cooper...   

Cooper was a forgettable nobody.... not a master criminal on the FBI 10 most wanted, not implicated in the Kennedy assassination or murdering his family.... not a super badass paratrooper, not a Physician Astronaut, not a PHD metallurgist working on the Manhattan Project. Picking these guys with interesting stories makes for good hype and discussion but they are not Cooper.

Cooper was a lifelong loser, loner and underachiever, he did this for the money and to prove he could do something others had not...  

I think from day one people were enamored by the special ops deal.  Mission Impossible,James Bond, whatever.  There is a reason these type of movies sell.  You don't see too many movies out there about guys who were Army cooks or radar operators.  Stolen Valor is usually someone claiming to be a SEAL, a Medal of Honor recipient, a POW.  Never a cook or a supply clerk.

So, Fly's commentary is spot on from my perspective.  I looked back at some email comms I had with Bruce Smith back in 2018 when I started really getting into the case.  I wrote this to him:

"This does not smell like a special operations operation or mission.  It just doesn't.  Having parachute training and being in special ops are very different."

Edited Friday at 03:47 PM by CooperNWO305
na

[FLYJACK 743]

I am 90% confident this case will be 100% solved,

and 100% confident it will be 90% solved.

[DWeber 3]

Good to see some optimism. 
I am 99.999999% it will never be solved.

Whats giving you the confidence? Hair slide turns up, DNA from the tie, tie particles, etc?
 

[FLYJACK 743]

2 hours ago, DWeber said:

Good to see some optimism. 
I am 99.999999% it will never be solved.

Whats giving you the confidence? Hair slide turns up, DNA from the tie, tie particles, etc?
 

Hair slide,, gone.

DNA,, dead end.

Tie particles,, IMO, most likely, Cooper obtained the tie right before the hijacking and discarded it.

My optimism is based on the information I have and case evidence I am still trying to get.. most is not public. It is getting really close..

[monk71 2]

On 4/17/2025 at 10:04 AM, FLYJACK said:

Cooper was a lifelong loser, loner and underachiever, he did this for the money and to prove he could do something others had not...  

 

I disagree. Why a lifelong loser? What about someone who was successful in early life, but couldn't seem to navigate later life (e.g. post-war), as if he had two separate lives. Many veterans experience this.

[FLYJACK 743]

47 minutes ago, monk71 said:

I disagree. Why a lifelong loser? What about someone who was successful in early life, but couldn't seem to navigate later life (e.g. post-war), as if he had two separate lives. Many veterans experience this.

Sure, anything is possible,, but that would be the exception.

Most military guys were young and not successful yet... 

Point is Cooper was not a successful person, he didn't have 80+ patents, was not an astronaut surgeon, a murderer, linked to the Kennedy assassination or a scientist, he was a chronic underachiever, an unmemorable nobody, probably a narcissist who had the guts to prove he could finally do something others hadn't.

Cooper researchers are attracted to high profile people because they have lots of info readily available.. sort of a survivorship bias. 

[monk71 2]

Cooper might have been hiding in plain sight all along - someone referenced in several books. There is a story of a pilot who robbed banks...

Captain Chris Magee

• age 54 at the time
• combat fighter pilot
• emergency parachute trained
• olive-skinned Caucasian, swarthy IMO (worked in Latin America and Middle East)
• receding hairline
• criminal (multiple bank robberies, bootlegging, smuggler, black-market)
• felon arrested by the FBI
• out of prison at the time of heist
• single and lived alone, worked alone on weekly deadline - could be gone for days - only his girlfriend Joan would find him missing Thanksgiving - and she may have known of his bank robberies
• physically fit
• highly intelligent
• personality type:

        - "a really nice gentleman, quiet and reserved"
        - loner, non-conformist
        - "aloof behaviour, tendencies towards lone wolf tactics"
        - deserted his family for more conflict and adventure (adrenaline junkie)
        - "kind, soft spoken, and friendly" (gentleman bandit?)
        - "always a deep underlying sadness"

• Catholic
• self-described “soldier of fortune”
• CIA?

Bruce Smith would like this last one, that Magee was likely a spook of some agency. He also studied Eastern philosophy and was a journalist for community newspapers.

Since Magee was on the radar of the FBI, I wonder if his name or profile has appeared in the vault files yet.

[FLYJACK 743]

28 minutes ago, monk71 said:

Cooper might have been hiding in plain sight all along - someone referenced in several books. There is a story of a pilot who robbed banks...

Captain Chris Magee

• age 54 at the time
• combat fighter pilot
• emergency parachute trained
• olive-skinned Caucasian, swarthy IMO (worked in Latin America and Middle East)
• receding hairline
• criminal (multiple bank robberies, bootlegging, smuggler, black-market)
• felon arrested by the FBI
• out of prison at the time of heist
• single and lived alone, worked alone on weekly deadline - could be gone for days - only his girlfriend Joan would find him missing Thanksgiving - and she may have known of his bank robberies
• physically fit
• highly intelligent
• personality type:

        - "a really nice gentleman, quiet and reserved"
        - loner, non-conformist
        - "aloof behaviour, tendencies towards lone wolf tactics"
        - deserted his family for more conflict and adventure (adrenaline junkie)
        - "kind, soft spoken, and friendly" (gentleman bandit?)
        - "always a deep underlying sadness"

• Catholic
• self-described “soldier of fortune”
• CIA?

Bruce Smith would like this last one, that Magee was likely a spook of some agency. He also studied Eastern philosophy and was a journalist for community newspapers.

Since Magee was on the radar of the FBI, I wonder if his name or profile has appeared in the vault files yet.

This guy..

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Magee_(fighter_pilot)

Problem is,, you can find lots of guys that tick many or most boxes and fit the basic profile, probably tens of thousands out there..  but they all eventually hit a wall and can't be connected to the hijacking.

Researching a guy in November 1971 can be really tough...

 

[monk71 2]

Chris Magee - pilot, bank bobber

Apologies to Ryan for the Don Ameche mustache.  Added to his image here only for comparison.

Flyjack, here is a better online article than Wikipedia:
https://www.vintagewings.ca/stories/wild-man

The article is long, but well worth it (many photos). The ending is a father/son story.

What I like about the vortex is all of the human stories. As you look for Cooper, you study history.

[monk71 2]

Chris Magee

Grudge possibilities:

• FBI itself (similar to the Joe Lakich story, although less personal)
• prison bureaucracy keeping him years longer than expected
• colon cancer: first surgery
• finding "no work that gave him meaning" - decided against being airline pilot
• wife left him and took the kids, with no way to find them*

* Magee abandoned his first family for months at a time, until his wife couldn't put up with it anymore. It was a lot for him to take over the years: not knowing whether his kids were alive or not.

Other notable attributes:

• Black Sheep Squadron member - WWII ace fighter pilot
• aversion to boots when flying - wore bowling shoes (tennis shoes was an error)
• flew with pile of grenades in lap - lobbed out at enemy on ground
• "penchant for bar fighting"
• likely had unnoticeable Midwestern accent (Chicago, Canada)
• must have had security clearance for classified Greenland Thule base

Points against Magee being Cooper:

• already known by FBI
• can't place him in Pacific NW (although he had friends from there and was possibly in Minnesota)
• unsure if he smoked or what brand
• less resemblance to sketches? (unless photos closer to '71 are found)

I'm not saying that Magee was Cooper. He might have been, just like many others. There is no smoking gun here. I just find the story fascinating.

[FLYJACK 743]

6 minutes ago, monk71 said:

Chris Magee

Grudge possibilities:

• FBI itself (similar to the Joe Lakich story, although less personal)
• prison bureaucracy keeping him years longer than expected
• colon cancer: first surgery
• finding "no work that gave him meaning" - decided against being airline pilot
• wife left him and took the kids, with no way to find them*

* Magee abandoned his first family for months at a time, until his wife couldn't put up with it anymore. It was a lot for him to take over the years: not knowing whether his kids were alive or not.

Other notable attributes:

• Black Sheep Squadron member - WWII ace fighter pilot
• aversion to boots when flying - wore bowling shoes (tennis shoes was an error)
• flew with pile of grenades in lap - lobbed out at enemy on ground
• "penchant for bar fighting"
• likely had unnoticeable Midwestern accent (Chicago, Canada)
• must have had security clearance for classified Greenland Thule base

Points against Magee being Cooper:

• already known by FBI
• can't place him in Pacific NW (although he had friends from there and was possibly in Minnesota)
• unsure if he smoked or what brand
• less resemblance to sketches? (unless photos closer to '71 are found)

I'm not saying that Magee was Cooper. He might have been, just like many others. There is no smoking gun here. I just find the story fascinating.

Yup, interesting guy,, don't see anything that indicates Cooper..