Only Unsolved Crime In Us Aviation History

[skeptic36]

P Dan “DB” Cooper - $200,000 US – Only Unsolved Crime in US Aviation History

 

He's the world's most famous fugitive. On the night before Thanksgiving, November 24, 1971, a passenger by the name of Dan Cooper boarded a plane in Portland, OR bound for Seattle. Clad in a suit and raincoat, wearing dark glasses and carrying a briefcase, he sat silently in the back of the plane. After calmly lighting a cigarette, he ordered a whiskey from the stewardess and then handed her a note. It read, '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.' He demanded $200,000 and four parachutes delivered to him in Seattle. When the plane landed, he released all the passengers, save for the pilot, co-pilot, and stewardess. Once the money was delivered in the middle of the brightly-lit tarmac, Cooper demanded the pilot take off for Mexico, flying at an altitude of 10,000 feet. Shortly after takeoff, over the mountains northwest of Portland, the six-foot-tall Cooper strapped on a parachute and jumped. He was never heard from again. Did he survive? In 1980, roughly $6000 was found of the money in bundles on a beach, but no signs of a body. The case remains open and is the only unsolved crime in US aviation history. (Link | Via)

 

 

[siznaudin]

Didn't he exit via the rear entrance - and thereafter those (as fitted to the 727) were changed to be permanently locked shut while in flight?

 

If you want to see a HIGHLY memorable chase scene involving a Stearman giving a pickup a hard time, try to chase up a copy of "The Pursuit of DB Cooper".

 

Unforgettable stunt flying - and I'm not sure to this day whether it was faked or real. B****y impressive though! [ATTACH=full]1312[/ATTACH]

 

ps - what other aircraft have been fitted with similar rear "aero steps" - anyone know?

 

Convair 240/340/440 perhaps?

 

pps: just had to add this link - what an amazing story!

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D._B._Cooper

 

 

 

[red750]

ps - what other aircraft have been fitted with similar rear "aero steps" - anyone know?

BAC 1-11 is one example

 

 

 

DC9 / MD-80 was another:

 

 

The Yak 40 had them because it operated into remote strips:

 

 

The Martin 404 was a propliner with ventral air stair:

 

 

The Convair family of airliners (240,340, 440) had folding airstairs in the front doorway similar to the Lockheed Electra. Unusually, the 240's airstair was on the starboard side:

 

 

One I almost forgot, the Sud SE210 Caravelle:

 

 

.

 

 

[red750]

and thereafter those (as fitted to the 727) were changed to be permanently locked shut while in flight?

The lock, referred to by the FAA as the "Cooper Vane", was installed after the DB Cooper escape.

 

 

Air pressure caused by forward movement rotated the steel bolt to disable the stairs in flight.

 

.

 

 

[red750]

After asking my contacts on another forum, I can add the following:

 

Martin 202

 

Convair 240 - revisited. After this aircraft was nominated on the other forum, I reviewed over 200 photos on Google images to come across one

 

example, ironically enough in TAA colours. There were a series of upgrades of this basic airframe, including turboprop variants such as the CV560, CV580, CV600, etc. The following link shows a number of images of the 240, and also after its turboprop conversion. These images are all copyrighted.

 

http://aussieairliners.org/convairr/vh-tar/vhtar.html

 

Yak 42 - the Russian 727 equivalent.

 

I tried uploading images of these aircraft, but after 5 attempts, each time failing due to site not responding, I decided to post without images.

 

 

[siznaudin]

The TAA 240 is of special interest, as I reckon, through the mists of time and my dimming memory, it's the aircraft in which I (as a sub teenager) flew in from Parafield to Sydney. Hence my thinking that the Convair series had the airstairs - but now, of course you've clarified it for us all. I recall it set a then record time for the trip as there was a generous tailwind. I, accustomed at the time to travelling ADL to SYD by car, had a definite feeling of the surreal on walking from the station (Allawah) to my Aunt's place - it just didn't seem "right" that I could be there having only left earlier the same day. Yeah .. a long long time ago.

 

Thanks Pete - well researched! [ATTACH=full]1313[/ATTACH]

 

ps ... interesting that the turboprop conversion also incorporated an extension to the a/c's nose.

 

 

 

[Guest David C]

The Channel Airways BAC111 made my nostalgia juices flow .. I remember them with great affection . I think that shot was taken at London Gatwick , in the mid 60's I hazard a guess . I think the Comet was a Dan Air example , not sure about the DC 6 though ..

 

Dave C

 

 

[Alan Spears]

Here is a painting I did of the TAA Convair 240. TAA operated four of these aircraft in the mid 1950s

 

 

 

[willedoo]

ps ... interesting that the turboprop conversion also incorporated an extension to the a/c's nose.

I wonder if it was directly related to the engine conversion, or just an unrelated design modification done at the same time.

 

Cheers, Willie.

 

 

[siznaudin]

The Channel Airways BAC111 made my nostalgia juices flow .. I remember them with great affection . I think that shot was taken at London Gatwick , in the mid 60's I hazard a guess . I think the Comet was a Dan Air example , not sure about the DC 6 though ..Dave C

And having some recall, no matter how vague, of the TAA 240 with the airstair, it's of some surprise to me that having in 1973 travelled in an Air Pacific ("Air Pathetic" was the derogatory term...) BAC111 from Fiji to Vanuatu, I cannot recall the rear airstair on it. Ah well.... :rolleyes:

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

[siznaudin]

Good old Trove - here's the reference to the record flight: 2hrs 23mins Adelaide to Sydney... with a 70 mph tail wind!

 

From The Canberra Times, August 6th 1950 ( I was one of the 20 passengers - a tender 9 years old!)

 

Record Adelaide-Sydney Flight

 

SYDNEY

 

Two former war pilots chopped three minutes off the Adelaide-Sydney flightrecord in a T.A.A. Convair today. They covered the 780 miles in 2 hours 23 minutes in the "James Cook" airliner with 20 passengers on board. The pilots are Captain Ken Fox, 30, of Kirribilli, and First-Officer Peter Pascoe, 29, of Stanmore. The aircraft was assisted by a 70 m.p.h.tail wind. The average speed was 335 miles an hour, at 17,000 feet.