The Legend of D. B. Cooper
Myths Exposed

There have been many myths incorporated in the FBI theory that D. B. Cooper died when he hit the ground on that cold, windy night on November 24, 1971. The following is a sample of the myths dispelled in the book.

Myth

Details in the Book

Cooper was a fool because he didn't request a specific route for the plane to fly

Cooper was an experienced private pilot who knew the route the 727 would fly based on the speed, altitude, and destination requested

Cooper was not a skydiving expert because he did not choose the best chute for the jump

According to a skydiving expert with over 8000 jumps, there would have been no way of knowing which of the chutes that were provided would have been best without opening them. When he took apart one of the backpack chutes to use the lines, he would have assumed the second chute was identical.

Cooper died in the jump in a heavily wooded area in Southwestern Washington

If this were true, how do we explain the fact that no trace of a body or a parachute was found after extensive searching? The search area pinpointed by the FBI was only ten miles from interstate five.

The jump occurred over Ariel, Washington. This is known by the FBI because of a pressure bump felt by the pilot of the 727.

According to engineers and pilots with expert knowledge of the 727, the term pressure bump refers to a fluctuation on the pressure gage on the flight engineer's instrument panel. This occurred at 8:00pm. The "curtsy" that was felt by the pilot occurred 13 minutes later.

The jump occurred at 8:13pm putting the jump site over Ariel, WA. This was the point where the pilot reported feeling the tail of the plane rise in what was later described as a "curtsy".

There are other explanations for the curtsy. According to Barb, she started down the stairs to look for the lights of Portland that could be seen through the clouds. This would be the point where she would start her timing to the point of the actual jump, 9 minutes away in the in the flat fields of Woodburn, Oregon. According to Barb, "Why would anyone jump into a mountainous, heavily wooded area at night when there were huge, flat fields only 9 minutes away where the jump would be safe."

It would be impossible to choose a jump site due to the overcast conditions that night.

According to our jump experts and the pilots we spoke with, the lights of Portland could have been seen through the cloud layers that were present the night of the jump. Barb had flown the route in her own small plane before the jump and had chosen the Woodburn area as the jump site due to the extensive flat lands in the area. She knew the route the 727 would be flying and the speed. The point of departure was timed using the Timex watch she was wearing.

Cooper was a fool because he didn't specify the denomination of the bills when he requested the ransom. The twenties weighed approximately 20 pounds.

According to our jump experts the average jumper jumps with approximately 80 pounds of gear, so 20 pounds would have not been a problem. According to Barb, she used the money as a makeshift "depth finder" to determine where to prepare for the landing on that dark night. She tied the money to her waist using the cords from one of the spare chutes in a manner that would allow for releasing the money bag as she got closer to the ground. The cord would have remained taut until it reached the ground. As the cord slacked, she knew to prepare for the landing.

Cooper's eyes were definitely brown

According to reports in "SkyJack: The Hunt for D. B. Cooper" by Geoffrey Gray, Cooper put his sun glasses on as soon as he sat down. This leaves only Florence, the stewardess who greeted him when he entered the plane, to actually see his eye colors. Initial reports stated that "the eyes were possibly brown". The "possibly" has morphed into "definitely" over the years. In the dim lighting of the 727, it would be difficult to judge eye color. The assumption would be that the eyes were brown due to the complexion and the dark hair, making "possibly brown" description very likely.

Cooper was 5'10' to 6' tall

According to "SkyJack: The Hunt for D.B. Cooper" by Geoffrey Gray, there were discrepancies in the height reported by the eye-witnesses. Florence put the height at 6'1". Tina stated he was no where near that tall, but that she was 5'8" and Cooper was taller than she. According to Barb's relatives, as a man Barb was uncomfortable with her 5'8" height. She had fashioned what they refered to as "stilts" to fit into her shoes, and practice walking in them until it was impossible to tell she was wearing them.

It is questionable that anyone could survive that jump due to the temperature that night and the speed of the aircraft.

According to our jump experts, the temperature would have made it uncomfortable but would have been endurable due to the short period of time required for the freefall. Also, hundreds of people jump yearly from a 727 to celebrate the anniversary of the jump. We have been told by two people who have made this jump more than once, one-hundred people can jump from the back of a 727, with all of them making it back to the designated target at the airport.

The cigarettes left on the plane were lost, leaving no way for the FBI to positively determine Cooper's identity using the parital DNA samples from the tie clasp.

According to our notes, NBC News reported that DNA had been obtained from the cigarettes in 2000. This DNA was used to determine a skull found in the jump area in 2000 did not belong to Cooper. In 2006, it was reported that the evidence was "retested". At that time, the cigarette butts were missing, so only the inconclusive DNA from the tie was available. There was no mention of what happened to the DNA from the cigarattes that would have been in the national data base (NDIS) from 2000.

The $5,800 of the Cooper money found by Brian Ingram in 1980 was most likely dropped during the jump and traveled down rivers to its resting spot.

If we are to believe the FBI's jump site theory, the money could not have traveled to the spot on its own. Also, the money could not have been exposed to the elements for eight years and still have been in the condition it was found.

The rubber bands were still intact, though somewhat deteriorated. They could have not been exposed to the elements for more than one to two years

The area where the money was found had been dredged in 1974. Geologists commissioned by the FBI stated the money had to have been deposited there two to 4 years after that year.

Judging from the direction of the winds reported that night and the flight path of the 727, the money would have fallen directly under the flight path or slightly to the east. There is no reasonable explanation of how the money could have landed 25 miles southwest of the jump site. The money had to be planted there later, dispelling the theory that Cooper died in the jump. (See the map here.)

Myth	Details in the Book
Cooper was a fool because he didn't request a specific route for the plane to fly	Cooper was an experienced private pilot who knew the route the 727 would fly based on the speed, altitude, and destination requested
Cooper was not a skydiving expert because he did not choose the best chute for the jump	According to a skydiving expert with over 8000 jumps, there would have been no way of knowing which of the chutes that were provided would have been best without opening them. When he took apart one of the backpack chutes to use the lines, he would have assumed the second chute was identical.
Cooper died in the jump in a heavily wooded area in Southwestern Washington	If this were true, how do we explain the fact that no trace of a body or a parachute was found after extensive searching? The search area pinpointed by the FBI was only ten miles from interstate five.
The jump occurred over Ariel, Washington. This is known by the FBI because of a pressure bump felt by the pilot of the 727.	According to engineers and pilots with expert knowledge of the 727, the term pressure bump refers to a fluctuation on the pressure gage on the flight engineer's instrument panel. This occurred at 8:00pm. The "curtsy" that was felt by the pilot occurred 13 minutes later.
The jump occurred at 8:13pm putting the jump site over Ariel, WA. This was the point where the pilot reported feeling the tail of the plane rise in what was later described as a "curtsy".	There are other explanations for the curtsy. According to Barb, she started down the stairs to look for the lights of Portland that could be seen through the clouds. This would be the point where she would start her timing to the point of the actual jump, 9 minutes away in the in the flat fields of Woodburn, Oregon. According to Barb, "Why would anyone jump into a mountainous, heavily wooded area at night when there were huge, flat fields only 9 minutes away where the jump would be safe."
It would be impossible to choose a jump site due to the overcast conditions that night.	According to our jump experts and the pilots we spoke with, the lights of Portland could have been seen through the cloud layers that were present the night of the jump. Barb had flown the route in her own small plane before the jump and had chosen the Woodburn area as the jump site due to the extensive flat lands in the area. She knew the route the 727 would be flying and the speed. The point of departure was timed using the Timex watch she was wearing.
Cooper was a fool because he didn't specify the denomination of the bills when he requested the ransom. The twenties weighed approximately 20 pounds.	According to our jump experts the average jumper jumps with approximately 80 pounds of gear, so 20 pounds would have not been a problem. According to Barb, she used the money as a makeshift "depth finder" to determine where to prepare for the landing on that dark night. She tied the money to her waist using the cords from one of the spare chutes in a manner that would allow for releasing the money bag as she got closer to the ground. The cord would have remained taut until it reached the ground. As the cord slacked, she knew to prepare for the landing.
Cooper's eyes were definitely brown	According to reports in "SkyJack: The Hunt for D. B. Cooper" by Geoffrey Gray, Cooper put his sun glasses on as soon as he sat down. This leaves only Florence, the stewardess who greeted him when he entered the plane, to actually see his eye colors. Initial reports stated that "the eyes were possibly brown". The "possibly" has morphed into "definitely" over the years. In the dim lighting of the 727, it would be difficult to judge eye color. The assumption would be that the eyes were brown due to the complexion and the dark hair, making "possibly brown" description very likely.
Cooper was 5'10' to 6' tall	According to "SkyJack: The Hunt for D.B. Cooper" by Geoffrey Gray, there were discrepancies in the height reported by the eye-witnesses. Florence put the height at 6'1". Tina stated he was no where near that tall, but that she was 5'8" and Cooper was taller than she. According to Barb's relatives, as a man Barb was uncomfortable with her 5'8" height. She had fashioned what they refered to as "stilts" to fit into her shoes, and practice walking in them until it was impossible to tell she was wearing them.
It is questionable that anyone could survive that jump due to the temperature that night and the speed of the aircraft.	According to our jump experts, the temperature would have made it uncomfortable but would have been endurable due to the short period of time required for the freefall. Also, hundreds of people jump yearly from a 727 to celebrate the anniversary of the jump. We have been told by two people who have made this jump more than once, one-hundred people can jump from the back of a 727, with all of them making it back to the designated target at the airport.
The cigarettes left on the plane were lost, leaving no way for the FBI to positively determine Cooper's identity using the parital DNA samples from the tie clasp.	According to our notes, NBC News reported that DNA had been obtained from the cigarettes in 2000. This DNA was used to determine a skull found in the jump area in 2000 did not belong to Cooper. In 2006, it was reported that the evidence was "retested". At that time, the cigarette butts were missing, so only the inconclusive DNA from the tie was available. There was no mention of what happened to the DNA from the cigarattes that would have been in the national data base (NDIS) from 2000.
The $5,800 of the Cooper money found by Brian Ingram in 1980 was most likely dropped during the jump and traveled down rivers to its resting spot.	If we are to believe the FBI's jump site theory, the money could not have traveled to the spot on its own. Also, the money could not have been exposed to the elements for eight years and still have been in the condition it was found. The rubber bands were still intact, though somewhat deteriorated. They could have not been exposed to the elements for more than one to two years The area where the money was found had been dredged in 1974. Geologists commissioned by the FBI stated the money had to have been deposited there two to 4 years after that year. Judging from the direction of the winds reported that night and the flight path of the 727, the money would have fallen directly under the flight path or slightly to the east. There is no reasonable explanation of how the money could have landed 25 miles southwest of the jump site. The money had to be planted there later, dispelling the theory that Cooper died in the jump. (See the map here.)