New York Times clipping: 'Hijacker Collects Ransom of $200,000; Parachutes From Jet and Disappears'

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Hijacker Collects Ransom of $200,000; Parachutes From Jet and Disappears

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By EARL CALDWELL Special to The New York Times

RENO, Nov. 25—Authorities in four Western states were searching a 500-mile corridor of mountains and river valleys tonight for a hijacker who parachuted from a jet airliner with $200,000 in ransom money. The crime, accomplished by a cool, middle-aged man in a business suit, was apparently intricately planned. The ran- som paid by Northwest Air- lines was the biggest ever sur- rendered in a United States hijacking, and it was the first time a hijacker had parachuted from a plane. A spokesman for the Federal Bureau of Investigation said [illegible — text cut off at bottom]

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glasses, but otherwise undis- tinguished from the rest of the passengers, demanded that when the plane landed in Seat- tle there be $200,000 in ran- som and four parachutes. "He was quite relaxed, sit- ting in the back seat on the starboard [right] side," said Robert B. Gregory of Sumner, Wash.; a passenger. William Mitchell of Redmond, Wash., who was across the aisle from the man, said neither he nor the others had any idea what he was up to. "I saw one stewardess an- swer a call and her face dropped," recalled Richard Simmons, who runs a convict rehabilitation program in

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[led] that the search for the para- chutist was being concentrated in the wilderness area 25 miles northeast of Portland, Ore., but the spokesman acknowledged that the manhunt in that area was based on supposition rather than hard information.

The four-state hijacking be- gan last night in Portland, on the last leg of Northwest Flight 305 from Washington to Seattle. The Boeing 727 had made earlier stops in Minne- apolis; [guess: “]Great Falls, Mont.; Missoula, Mont.; Portland, Ore., and Spokane, Wash.

The hijacker, identified by the F.B.I. as "D. B. Cooper,"

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boarded the jet in Portland. When the plane was in the air, he showed a stewardess a briefcase containing two red cylinders and wires and said he would blow up the aircraft, containing 36 passengers and six crew members, unless his demands were met.

The man, wearing dark

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tle. "She looked bewilder[ed] and gulped. I guess she learned what was happening then."

Capt. William W. Scott, the pilot, radioed the hijacker's de- mands ahead to Seattle. A Northwest manager said that the man had not demanded any specific denomination of bills. He declined to say wheth- er the bills were marked in any way. Airline workers had to go to several banks to assem- ble the large sum.

The parachutes, which are not in ordinary use in com- mercial air travel, proved an-

Continued on Page 73, Column 4

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DB Cooper-21032

Hijacker Collects $200,000 Ransom and [cut off]

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Continued From Page 1, Col. 6 other problem. Two military models were found at McChord Air Force Base in Tacoma and rushed to the Seattle field. When the hijacker learned that military models were being supplied, he demanded that sport models be made avail- able instead. These were found at a nearby airfield used by sky divers. The difference in the two kinds of parachutes — a differ- ence that was to prove signifi- cant later in the evening — is that the military models open automatically after about 200 feet, whereas users of sports chutes can free fall as long as they like before pulling the rip- cord. While the money and para- chutes were being assembled, Flight 305 circled the Seattle airfield. The passengers were told that there was mechanical trouble, and that the pilot was trying to burn up fuel before landing.

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been permitted to debark. Two stewardesses are in the auto- mobile," he said. "Just get out of here and start pumping gas." "We have one stewardess re- maining with the individual," the captain went on. "I hope that truck [the gas truck] is full. He's getting awfully antsy. He wants the stewardess sitting back there with him on the take-off." The hijacker said that he wanted to go to Mexico City, but the crew explained that that was outside the jet's maxi- mum range. They eventually settled for a refueling stop at Reno, Nev. At one point in the negotia- tions, an official of the Federal Aviation Administration board- ed the plane and tried to talk the hijacker into surrendering, but he replied, "Let's get this show on the road."

Hijacker's Flight Order

The hijacker made very care- ful stipulations for the take-off and flight to Reno. He said that

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for 1,000 feet or so before [his] [cut off] opening his chute, he would [cut off] Portland stewardesses are in the auto- not have been seen in the night [on] [cut off] Julius Mattson, the F.B.I. agent in charge in Portland, said that the search for the hijacker was being conducted [beginning] around Amboy, Wash., which is just south of Lake Merwin. "It's not a bad spot to land if the guy knows what he's doing," the agent said. He said that there were a number of small airfields in the area used for sky diving. There was evidence of sub- stantial and deeply thought-out planning in the hijacking. The choice of the 727 was essen- tial since it is the only kind of commercial jet from which it is safer to parachute, because the rear exit is behind and un- der the engines.

Request for Parachutes

There was also apparent pur- pose in asking for more than one parachute. The reasoning is that the authorities think the hijacker was going

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DB Cooper-21033

landing.

Message Sent Plane

At 4:50 P.M., ground control relayed the following message to the plane: "F.B.I. and police have ad- vised no action be taken. Re- peat no action to be taken. We are awaiting [guess: his] concurrence that you should land." The plane landed shortly be- fore 6 P.M. the passengers were kept on the plane, their departure held up by the slow- ness in arrival of the money and parachutes. [guess: Impress] on this man that we are not trying to stall, the tower radioed. The money is on its way. It was picked up at more than one bank. Captain Scott directed the ground activity. We'll ask you to stay there until we can co- ordinate with our friend [the back [the hijacker], he said at one point. When the money and para- chutes were put aboard, the hijacker allowed the 36 pas- sengers to leave. There were then further negotiations about the three stewardesses on board. At 6:50, Captain Scott ad- vised Northwest control that two of the stewardesses [guess: had man] said

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the altitude was to remain be- low 10,000 feet, that the flaps be kept [guess: canted] and that the rear exit door be kept open. The result was that the plane coasted at near its minimum cruising speed of 200 miles an hour. After the take-off, the hi- jacker locked the remaining stewardess, Tina Mucklow, in the cockpit with the three other crew members. He had the en- tire cabin to himself. Captain Scott said that the last time he had communicated with the man on the intercom was when the plane was over Lake Mer- win on the Lewis River in southern Washington. The captain said that instru- ments in the cockpit indicated that the steps down from the rear exit were lowered during the flight. When the plane landed at Reno, the hijacker was not aboard. Also missing was the money, the supposed explosive device and two parachutes. Two Air Force jet fighters and a C-130 cargo plane that were trailing the 727 from Seattle said that they had seen nobody parachute from the jet. However, an Air Force spokes- [guess: man said] if the man fell free

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[guess: think] the hijacker was going to ask the stewardess or member of the crew to para- chute with him, and thus would be sure to provide para- chutes that opened. The hijacker was also ap- parently careful in choosing

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L + 73 [truncated]m and Parachutes From Jet

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so before his terrain. The area around jacker had an accomplice or he would Portland is the only flat place accomplices. He said there was a the night. on the Seattle-Reno route. A as yet no firm clues to his the F.B.I. parachute jump much after the whereabouts or real identity. [illegible] Portland, plane passed Portland would Stan Pitkin, the United States [illegible] for the involve landing in the snow Attorney for western Washing- conducted and cold of the Cascade Moun- ton, said that if the man was Amboy, tains. captured he would be returned [illegible] south of Harold E. Campbell Jr., the to Seattle to face Federal air not a bad F.B.I. agent here in charge of piracy charges. The crime car- guy knows the case, said tonight that there ries a penalty of from 20 years the agent was no evidence that the hi- to life in prison.

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Shipping/Mails All Hours Given in Eastern Standard Time

Incoming Passenger and Mail Ships

(Ship movements subject to Longshoremen's strike.)

Friday, Nov. 23

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