Part 51, page 368

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Seattle Times: Search Result Page 1 of 2 [website navigation elements: Autos, seattletimes.com, Classified Ads, NWsource.com, Contact Us, Search Archive] ◄ Search Again Copyright © 2001 The Seattle Times Company

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Local News : Thursday, March 15, 2001

'D.B. Cooper' pilot dies; William Scott never talked much about 1971 skyjacking

By Susan Gilmore Seattle Times staff reporter

For 30 years, William "Scotty" Scott said little about the world's most famous skyjacking, shunning assorted authors and movie producers who came knocking at his door.

Mr. Scott piloted the Northwest Orient Airlines jet hijacked by the infamous "D.B. Cooper" on Thanksgiving Eve 1971. He died of prostate cancer Sunday at his home in Green Valley, Ariz., taking to the grave much of what he knew about that fateful night, said his wife, Frances.

"When he came home that night," she said, "he told his family about it, and that was the end of it. He was a very quiet man. Very reserved."

Only in recent years had he begun to talk about the skyjacking that perplexed the FBI and continues to rivet those who think Cooper may have survived the jump of 10,000 feet into the blackness of a storm over Southwest Washington.

Her husband was convinced Cooper died in the leap, said Frances Scott. "He felt he jumped into Lake Merwin (Cowlitz County) and got tangled up in dead trees and died," she said.

On the 25th anniversary of the heist, Mr. Scott spoke to a local pilots club; 200 people showed up, said his wife.

Mr. Scott was the captain of the Boeing 727 when a passenger under the name of Dan Cooper boarded in Portland for the short flight to Seattle. Midway, he passed a note to a flight attendant, saying he had a bomb and demanding $200,000.

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DB Cooper-21552

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http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis/web/vortex/display?slug=pilot15m& · 3/17/2001