FLYJACK

Just listened to Nicholas Broughton's Cooper Vortex p1 interview, he claimed that no other suspect was seen wearing a black tie. He was corrected KC was in his uniform, but Hahneman also is in a pic wearing a black tie prior to Norjak. Wearing a thin black tie in the late 60's doesn't make you Cooper, it was common though it checks one box. His smoking gun was tie particles matched tig welding fumes and no other suspect matches the tie particle environment. Hahneman was an radar tech EE, that also matches the tie particle environment. But, wearing a polyester tie in a tig welding environment sounds sketchy and there were no burn marks. He makes a logical error though, Cooper had to be shown how to operated a lever to lower the rear stairs by Tina. A James Bond like 727 hydraulics engineer with "expert" knowledge would not need to be shown how to move a lever by a young stew. Being such an expert virtually eliminates him. Cooper had aviation knowledge but not an "expert". Too much expertise is a negative not a checked box. IMO https://thecoopervortex.podbean.com

It isn't 100% that he was (ex)military but most likely based on age (mid to late 40's), the chutes he requested and he used the term "interphone". Mark's presentation on the chutes..

I try to avoid analyzing suspects because people get so offended and so far none even come close to the suspect I am researching so that is my focus right now.. but off the top of my head.. There is no evidence that Cooper worked at Boeing, in fact it is unlikely as he would have been outed with all the publicity. Hijacking a plane to Seattle where one works is unlikely. A Boeing hydraulics engineer would know how to operate the 727 rear Airstairs and Cooper did not, Tina had to show him how even then he had trouble. A Boeing hydraulics engineer not able to use the Airstairs virtually eliminates him. It is NOT inclusive. Cooper had aviation knowledge but not specific 727 knowledge. He got the range slightly short, couldn't operate the door and thought the cockpit controlled the stairs. There is no evidence that the tie particles came from Boeing. There are many sources. Claiming the tie in a pic is the same one as Cooper is more than a stretch.. Klansnic was a family man, Cooper wasn't, he was not at home on thanksgiving. Due to Cooper's age he almost certainly had military experience, that alone doesn't make him Cooper.. hundreds of thousand of males that age range had military experience. Cooper was described as swarthy, latin, Mexican in appearance with wavy/curly/marcelled hair, that does not match Klansnic, a vague resemblance to the sketch is not enough. A photo at PDX of a local Boeing employee is of no value unless it was the day of the hijacking. Airstairs lowered during flight was not a secret, it wasn't common knowledge but it was available in an Aviation Mag, newspapers, Vietnam/Thailand. Cooper was in the aviation industry. IMO, Klansnic is probably one of the weakest suspects ever presented, very few circumstantial pieces there.. a turkey neck alone doesn't cut it. Unless there are more undisclosed pieces Klansnic just doesn't register on the suspect scale. gobble, gobble. Just my opinion. Don't take it personally. I can't say it wasn't him but the same could be said for tens or maybe a hundred thousand people.

Lots of new Cooper FBI files... since this thread was closed. Usually updated monthly. https://vault.fbi.gov/D-B-Cooper

That was later, during the negotiations. NOT the initial demand.

Some FBI summaries claim Cooper initially asked for airstairs down on takeoff.. the pilot transcript clearly states otherwise. Other places confirm the transcript. It was discussed but later when the crew was negotiating to get Tina off of the plane to attempt an escape..

wolfriverjoe.. The chutes contained "burp sacks" per FBI, I assume that is a vomit bag but it may have another meaning? Ever heard the term?

Emergency airstair release..

The Placard… The placard.. I did some work on that placard a while ago.. It was found basically under the FBI flight path plotted points E of v-23 centre line. Within the variability. It is from a small plastic door for access to an emergency release which was an option on 727’s. Right of the main airstair control panel door. When accessed that small access door disconnects completely. The emergency airstair system releases the upper locks and the airstairs free fall. (if on ground) The placard was plastic or vinyl and screwed or riveted to the small plastic door. You can see the rivet/screw holes and tear away.. (maybe 5 screws/rivets) The found placard had separated from the access door. The emergency door pulls completely off the wall to access the airstair emergency release. Speculation,, Cooper was having trouble getting the airstairs down using the normal operation lever (shown to him by Tina), behind the hinged airstair control door there is a button on top to press while moving a lever. He likely then tried the emergency release. A small door to the right of the main panel, he pulled the door off and threw it out or it fell out of the plane and the placard separated from the door on the way down. That small plastic door is probably still out there in the woods. Tina.. “When she returned to the plane with the last chute, she saw he had one chute cut open and nylon cords out and he was cutting them with his pocket knife. He took the nylon cord and wrapped it around the neck of the money bag numerous times and then he wrapped it around the neck of the money bag numerous times and then he wrapped it a few times from top to bottom, and with the same piece made a loop like a handle at the top. This nylon cord was pinkish in color. He appeared irritated because they didn’t give him a knapsack for the money which he had initially requested, and after trying to put the money in an unfolded parachute, he decided to leave it in the canvas bag."

Bruce went and checked out the chute, https://themountainnewswa.net/2011/10/25/db-cooper-case-heats-up-again-with-controversy-over-parachutes/

Neither back chute had D rings.. I tried but couldn't confirm/source a "red X" on the dummy, there was an X and red flaps.. but no confirmation of a "red X". The red X came from this forum possibly conflating the X and red flaps. If Cooper tied the money bag to his body then what happened to the dummy container and chute? Why would it be missing if he used it to wrap the money but went back to the money bag? If he used the container plus the money bag, why are the contents missing? Would he throw an opened chute off the plane? or did he actually use it. Perhaps he used the money bag then wrapped it with the dummy chute and tied it to his body.. then what happened to the container? and why did the FBI agent claim to find an opened "white" chute on the plane? BTW, looking at the cut lines from the reserve, couldn't the FBI get DNA, Cooper would have to be holding the lines to cut them.

There are many errors, conflicts and opinions in the FBI files.. it is the nature of an ongoing investigation. Tina claimed Cooper tried to put the money into an unfolded parachute.. if there was no drogue was that the "missing" dummy chute or the pink reserve?

That is the problem, Cooper didn't initially demand Airstairs down on take off. If he did then it indicates he wanted to jump soon after take off. This is what everyone assumed myself included, but as more FBI files were released it is absolutely clear that his initial demand was for Tina to lower in flight. Airstairs down on take off came up later during negotiations wth crew. Looks like the back chutes had pilot chutes and the front reserves did not, but did they have a "missing" drogue chute? Different from a pilot? If Cooper wrapped the money in white material it had to be the missing drogue chute from the good reserve (if it had one) or from the dummy reserve which was completely missing. Did some digging on the chutes.. FBI NOTES P 1541PARACHUTES FURNISHED TO SUBJECT ARE DESCRIBED AS: TWO FRONT CHEST CHUTES, TWENTYFOUR FEET IN DIAMETER, ALL WHITE NYLON, MODEL T-SEVEN A, WHITE SHROUDS, ABOUT FOURTEEN FEET LONG.NUMBER ONE CONTAINER HAS “_______” WRITTEN ON IT, AND lS ABOUT TEN BY THIRTEEN INCHES, OLIVE DRAB. NUMBER TWO CONTAINER HAS _____________ ON A WHITE PATCH WHICH IS SEWN TO CONTAINER. FBI NOTES P 1578PRIOR TO HOSTESS DEPARTING FROM PASSENGER CABIN, HIJACKER TOLD HER MONEY BAG NOT IN ACCORDANCE INSTRUCTIONS AND TO CUT UP OF THE PARACHUTES TO REWRAP THE MONEY FBI NOTES P 1620Subject believed tohave used parachutes described as follows;1. Chest pack type 24 foot white nylon canopy, white nylon about 14” in length. model T-7A, FBI NOTES P 1908CHEST PACK PARACHUTE OF BRIGHT PINK, ORANGE COLOR, DETERMINED BY MILITARY EXPERTS TO BE IN OPERABLE CONDITION. HOWEVER, IT WAS OPENED WITH THE DROUGE CHUTE MISSING IN THE AIRPLANE. FBI notes P 3114EARL J. COSSEY, 349 North 101st, Seattle, advised that the pilot chutes on both of the back pack parachutes which were furnished to the hijacker on 11/24/71, were white in color. He stated that also the back pack chute which was missing from the aircraft upon its arrival at Reno, Nevada, was white in color.Concerning the chest pack parachutes, he stated that these parachutes are hand deployed and do not contain pilot chutes. The chest pack chute which was sewn up as a practice chute and which was missing from the airplane was also white in color.

Cooper initially demanded for airstairs to be lowered in flight by Tina. It is absolutely clear in the FBI files. Everyone has repeated the myth that he initially asked for airstairs down on take off and extrapolated that he must have had inside info on the 727 airstairs. The pilots were negotiating with him to get Tina off the plane so they could attempt an escape, that is when the airstairs down on takeoff came up. Pilots were trying to convince Cooper to allow Tina off the plane. So, Cooper did not have to have some inside info.. the consensus was wrong. This is from the FBI files... it is not my opinion.. Dated… 11/26/71 FBI file p 1672 "On 11/26/71 SAC CAMPBELL from Las Vegas, advised that when they entered the airplane there was an open parachute in the plane, draped over one of the seats in the the hijacker was located, which parachute was white. Examination of this parachute reveals there was no drogue chute on it. The stewardess on the plane when interviewed said that the hijacker was upset when the money was not delivered in a knapsack. As a result she saw him wrap this money in some white material. SAC CAMPBELL speculates that the money was wrapped in the chute. He advised the second parachute in the plane is a backpack, which has never been opened. It is pink and it is being taken to the National Guard in Reno at once to see if it is in workable condition." Now. the reserve chute was pink not white, did the agent actually find the dummy reserve?? would the dummy/practice reserve have a drogue? Here are images of the pink reserve chute, any indication of a drogue or pilot? https://citizensleuths.com/pink-parachute-gallery.html Tina claimed Cooper wrapped the money in white material, he may have wrapped the money bag in part of the chute to better tie it up. "“All emergency bailout rigs, such as the ones provided to DB Cooper, would have a pilot chute,” Metzler said."

YES, keep it civil... and respectful. 377, I have FBI files that state Hahneman walked backwards down the 727 rear airstairs and went off back first (EAL 175 hijacking) just as you speculated Cooper would have. He was a crewman in a WW2 troop carrier sq which flew c-47's dropping (static) troops and gear. They used an "interphone". Further, if you carefully read the FBI files, Cooper did not initially ask for airstairs down on takeoff, he wanted Tina to lower in flight. Airstairs down on take off came up later in negotiations with the crew, they were trying to get Tina off the plane so they could escape through the front. Also,, Did the reserve have a drogue/pilot chute? Dated… 11/26/71 FBI file p 1672 On 11/26/71 SAC CAMPBELL from Las Vegas, advised that when they entered the airplane there was an open parachute in the plane, draped over one of the seats in the the hijacker was located, which parachute was white. Examination of this parachute reveals there was no drogue chute on it. The stewardess on the plane when interviewed said that the hijacker was upset when the money was not delivered in a knapsack. As a result she saw him wrap this money in some white material. SAC CAMPBELL speculates that the money was wrapped in the chute. He advised the second parachute in the plane is a backpack, which has never been opened. It is pink and it is being taken to the National Guard in Reno at once to see if it is in workable condition.

wow, this is amazing..

The forum bickering goes on. Info that may be relevant to actual physical evidence seems to be completely ignored. FLYJACK, welcome. How do you link bismuth to what Wah Chang and Oregon Metallurgical were manufacturing? 377 Found that Bismuth is used as a tooling lubricant.. there were spiral aluminum fragments found..

I don't know where you get the idea that my every post has something to do with Kenny Christiansen. Actually, I was mostly comparing the validity of the DNA evidence versus the titanium in the tie evidence. Titanium could have reached that tie by any number of sources. Handling by FBI agents or lab workers, someone who helped manufacture, deliver, or stock the ties wherever they were sold. Perhaps the hijacker borrowed the tie, or purchased it out of a secondhand shop from a guy who worked at Boeing or another aerospace-related firm. Boeing, at the time of the hijacking, was one of the biggest employers in Western Washington. Who knows? DNA, on the other hand, could end up being more reliable in this case. If the FBI gets hold of a suspect, and cannot eliminate his DNA sample based on the partial profile(s) from the tie they have now, this would focus a lot of attention on that suspect, because they've used that criteria to eliminate a suspect before. Simply identifying a suspect based on the idea he worked with titanium is a lot more sketchy. But since you brought up Christiansen again, how about this: The person we alleged as his accomplice worked at Boeing at the time the 727 was being developed and built in Seattle. Later, before and after the date of the hijacking, he worked for Foss Tugs as a marine mechanic. Both of those industries use titanium in one form or another. Six of one, a half dozen of another...the titanium is a good clue. The DNA is better. This is a very unique rare pure form of Titanium, not an alloy used in planes or tugs.. it was more used in chemical, space, weapons, armor

The forum bickering goes on. Info that may be relevant to actual physical evidence seems to be completely ignored. FLYJACK, welcome. How do you link bismuth to what Wah Chang and Oregon Metallurgical were manufacturing? 377 Sticking with upstream producers.. Oremet was dismissed as they used the Kroll method with leaching leaving Magnesium traces... the Ti was pure,, I am researching the Wah Chang process and they used a vacuum-distilled method which produces a more pure Ti.. but nothing conclusive yet, Although,"Spiral chips of aluminum and other exotic metals like bismuth and stainless steel" suggests a "downstream processing" exposure, Wah Chang had gov contracts and dealt with many exotic metals processing... I did stumble across the name of an engineer that died in the early 80s who worked at Reynolds Aluminum in Longview, not far from TBAR and at Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical in Portland. He was US military in Europe, from the midwest and mid 30s in 1971... He died alone at a remote public campground South of Tacoma and East of I5,, his name is a very close scramble of "Dan Cooper". No physical description, though a near perfect match to the FBI profile,, but it would be a helluva story if the Cooper money was still buried at that campsite.. I do have his name, DOB and the location of the campsite but haven't found anything else as this is very new to me. It is too premature to name him publicly, PM me... if you want to look into it.. needs more research

I have also secured/paid for a specific Dan Cooper comic that will be in the mail to me and it should have DNA and prints of a person of interest, I know it is a real loooong shot and don't expect anything but.... IMO, everyone is suspect until they can be eliminated..

Don't know why I can't access that site, maybe because my IP is outside the US,, Vancouver BC.. Interesting info and image from 1964 trade publication, discusses Oremet and Wah Chang (upstream), also identifies,, (downstream) "In general, the Wah Chang corporation does not fabricate finished parts in Albany. When necessary, however, it subcontracts this type of work to other specialized companies in the area. Included in these are the Oregon Metallurgical Corporation, Rem Incorporated and Northwest Industries. With these specialized industries located in the region, it can be understood why Albany has become known as a leading center for the production of refractory metals. http://www.nprha.org/Publications/The_NORTHWEST/1960s/1964_05_SEP-OCT_The_NORTHWEST_SML.pdf

An employee list is out there. "5. IwantedtoletyouknowthatIfoundthespreadsheetthatmyFather aquired before his death. It is a list ofemployees names, ss#, dates employed, diagnosis ofillness, theirjob title and the name ofthe companies that provided the materials to we that contained the hazardeous materials. It is an incomplete list and I do not know ofthe date that it was printed. My Dad was diagnosed in approx. 2003 and he is notonthelist.Thenam e-doesnotappearonthelist.I suspect that whoever compiled the information made it with information that they had available to them and that they did not have everything on everybody that was diagnosed so it only contains the information that they had at the time and they added more as they found out more. I cannot say for sure, but I suspect that this information was gathered by the Steelworkers Union Chapter here in Albany and I have no idea how my Dad got it. The earliest date I see of an employee hired is 1956 and the latest date oftermination 2001." http://www2.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2014-06/documents/09s-10-r10_complaint_redacted.pdf

Interesting.. Did Kaye miss something, there was another Titanium producer other than Oremet located in Albany Or. Wah Chang produced Titanium sponge under Gov contract, "Thanks to the U.S. Bureau of Mines Electrodevelopment Station at Albany, two companies, Wah Chang and Oregon Metallurgical, have located nearby. Using imported raw materials, they produce ingots and castings of columbium, tantalum, molyb- denum, tungsten, titanium, vanadium, zir- conium, and hafnium. Wah Chang produced zirconium and titanium sponge under Gov- ernment contract, and during the year com- pleted the installation of two electron-beam high -vacuum melting furnaces (The Ore .- Bin, October 1959) for producing high- purity reactive and exotic metals." http://www.oregongeology.org/pubs/og/OBv22all.pdf

and some wonder why I don't share the name here… for vetting,, .. No, not wondering....I still maintain my original assessment about secrecy on this thread even if you say it does not apply to you -but LET THE HUNGER GAMES BEGIN????? I don't know - that sounds a little competitive to me.

The guy in that photo looked very familiar to me. It finally hit me -- Christopher Walken! Does anyone else see that? with a little photo shopping 101 what the hell - Thank you! I've always wanted my own preferred suspect, so I can post long and repetitive arguments on my preferred suspect. How do we know Christopher Walken was DB Cooper? 1) He matches the description 2) He may seem too young, but he's the same age as Richard Floyd McCoy 3) He has had proximity to other mysterious events -- such as the drowning of Natalie Wood 4) As a professional actor, he would have experience altering his appearance and his voice Yep! I finally fit in! I now have a suspect. Be sure to check back here hourly for my latest updates! and some wonder why I don't share the name here… for vetting,, ..