Plane Crashes That Changed the Skies Forever

On a short flight from Portland to Seattle, a man later known as “D. B. Cooper” hijacked the Boeing 727, claiming to have a bomb. After receiving a ransom of $200,000, he parachuted from the rear stairway into the night. He was never found, and his fate remains a mystery.

The hijacking became one of the most famous unsolved cases in U.S. history. It led to sweeping changes in airline security, including mandatory screening of passengers and baggage, and the installation of “Cooper vanes” to prevent rear stairway escapes. Cooper became a legend of aviation folklore.