It’s over! The fed’s case to determine the man responsible for hijacking Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305 in 1971 has effectively been closed.
The FBI this week said it would limit the amount of resources it dedicates to the 45-year-old case. However, the agency does want people to continue to send leads.
On Nov. 24, 1971, a mysterious man using the name Dan Cooper, later reported by the media as D.B. Cooper, boarded the Seattle-bound airplane in Portland, Ore. Shortly after takeoff, Cooper handed the stewardess a note, saying: “I have a bomb in my briefcase. I will use it if necessary. I want you to sit next to me. You are being hijacked.”
Later, Cooper, parachuted out of the airplane. He took with him a bag filled with $200,000 in stolen cash and no one has seen him since, though $5,800 of the ransom money was found in 1980 to where Cooper is believed to have landed.
Cooper remins a mystery to this day.
“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,” the FBI said in a statement. “Every time the FBI assesses additional tips for the NORJAK case, investigative resources and manpower are diverted from programs that more urgently need attention.”