Interview of NWA Flight 305 hostess re hijacker's note and bomb
Interviewed 24 November 1971Dictated 26 November 1971
Part of: Interview of Northwest Airlines Flight 305 hostess at Reno
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Id: Cooper-Part-72:020-021
Subject: Cooper Files: Cooper-Part-72:020-021 Document: FD-302 interview of NWA Flight 305 hostess re hijacker's note and bomb Id: Cooper-Part-72:020-021 Page: https://cooper.theunsolved.net/documents/Cooper-Part-72%3A020-021 What is wrong (title, date, type, which pages belong together, copies)? What does the scan show?
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FBI 164-81, Vault Part 72 pp. 20–21 (DB Cooper-30801–30802), FD-302 interview, interviewed 24 Nov 1971 — cooper.theunsolved.net/documents/Cooper-Part-72%3A020-021
FD-302 (Rev. 4-15-64)
FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
Date 11/30/71
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[REDACTED], residence [REDACTED], [REDACTED], was interviewed at the Reno Airport, Reno, Nevada, on the late evening of November 24, 1971, and early morning hours of November 25, 1971. She identified herself as a hostess on Northwest Airlines Flight 305.
Shortly after takeoff from Portland, Oregon, en route to Seattle, Washington, in the afternoon hours of November 24, 1971, a male passenger on the flight, who was seated [REDACTED], gave a note to Hostess [REDACTED] showed the note to Hostess [REDACTED], who was also in the rear passenger compartment. The note indicated that the male individual was hijacking the plane and wanted the hostess to sit beside him. The note further indicated that he had a bomb and wanted $200,000.00. [REDACTED] stated she went back to the male passenger seated [REDACTED] with the note, at which time he indicated that he was hijacking the plane and was not kidding. He added that he wanted "no funny stuff". He had a black attache-type case in his lap, which case was partially open and he had his hand inside same. At this time [REDACTED] [REDACTED] sat down alongside the individual in seat [REDACTED] and after lighting a cigarette for the passenger, she told him that they would cooperate. Her best recollection is that it was while he told her he wanted no kidding and no funny stuff that he first partially opened the attache case and permitted her to see the contents. She recalls the contents as approximately eight cylindrical objects about six to eight inches long with four of the items being placed on top of the others and banded together with some kind of tape. She also recalled some covered and uncovered wiring running from the cylindrical objects to a dry cell type battery which had terminals on one end. She could not recall whether the wires were connected to the terminals. The battery was described as approximately eight inches long and about two and one-half inches in diameter. She stated that she had the impression upon observing the contents of the attache case that it was
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SEARCHED _____ INDEXED _____ SERIALIZED _____ FILED _____ DEC 1 31071 FBI — SEATTLE
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on 11/24/71 at Reno, Nevada File# LV 164-60[?]-81-[illegible]
BA H. E. HINDERLITER, JR. BAC HAROLD E. CAMPBELL, JR. (HEC:tlw) Date dictated 11/26/71
This document contains neither recommendations nor conclusions of the FBI. It is the property of the FBI and is loaned to your agency; it is not to be distributed outside your agency.
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DB Cooper-30801
LV 164-60 2
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dynamite; however, she is unfamiliar with the appearance of dynamite and could only describe it as stated above, adding that it was of a reddish rusty color.
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[REDACTED] then advised the pilot's compartment of the fact the plane was being hijacked via the intercom. She used the intercom while remaining in her seat inasmuch as it was close by and she could reach came from her seated position. It was with a pre-arranged signal of bells that she so advised the pilot's compartment. She also at that time on a plain envelope wrote out the demands of the hijacker, listing that he wanted four parachutes including two back packs and two chest packs, $200,000.00 in cash in small bills and that he wanted all this "by five o'clock". She recalls that [REDACTED] delivered this note to the pilot's compartment inasmuch as the hijacker insisted that she be physically present alongside him at all times. She recalled that she sat with him almost the entire time of the flight.
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[REDACTED] recalled that during the flight from Portland to Seattle, all passengers were moved at least three rows forward from where the hijacker was seated. She stated that at one time he commented that "the bomb" he had was electrically fused and he certainly hoped the crew would not generate any electrical currents which would trigger it. In response to her query as to why he had chosen a Northwest airplane to hijack, she related his statement to the effect that he had "a grudge" but not against Northwest Airlines, adding that the Northwest plane just happened to be in the right place at the right time. In response to her query at one time during their conversation as to where he came from, [REDACTED] stated the hijacker was adamant in his refusal to answer and seemed somewhat provoked by the question. [REDACTED] recalled that frequently during her conversa- tion with the hijacker he kept reminding her that the crew should attempt "nothing funny" and each time she assured him that he would receive the full cooperation of the crew.
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DB Cooper-30802
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b6 b7C
Serials: LV 164-60