A parachute could hold the key to unraveling the mystery of the notorious skyjacker known as D.B. Cooper. This unidentified man hijacked a plane in November 1971, demanding $200,000 and four parachutes while claiming to have explosives on board.
After the plane landed in Seattle, Cooper received the money and instructed the pilot to fly towards Mexico. He then parachuted out of the aircraft near the Oregon border. Despite extensive searches, he was never found. However, a boy discovered $5,800 of the ransom money almost ten years later near the Columbia River.
To this day, no suspect has been officially named, and the case remains unsolved, although several individuals have been mentioned as possible suspects. One name that frequently comes up is Richard Floyd McCoy, who executed a similar hijacking just a few months after Cooper’s case. McCoy was arrested and sentenced to 45 years in prison for his crime, although he always insisted he was innocent.
In 1974, McCoy escaped from prison but was ultimately killed in a shootout with FBI agents in Virginia. Despite his passing 50 years ago, McCoy’s children believe that their father may have been responsible for the D.B. Cooper hijacking.
Dan Gryder, an aviation YouTuber, has taken an interest in this theory and claims to have communicated with McCoy’s children. Gryder discovered a parachute rig at a property in North Carolina that belonged to McCoy’s mother. He believes this parachute could be linked to Cooper’s hijacking, describing it as a “one in a billion” find due to its unique military specifications.
McCoy’s children reportedly suspected their father was involved in the hijacking but kept quiet to protect their mother, who they believe had a role in it. After their mother’s passing in 2020, they finally reached out to Gryder about their suspicions.
Following the parachute discovery, Gryder was contacted by the FBI, and he along with McCoy’s son met with agents in September 2023. The FBI has since taken the parachute and related materials as evidence, potentially bringing them closer to solving this decades-old mystery.
