How the 50-year mystery of D.B Cooper could soon be solved

It has been nearly 53 years since the mysterious disappearance of plane hijacker D.B. Cooper, but private investigator Eric Ulis believes new evidence could soon reveal his identity.

On November 24, 1971, a man using the alias Dan Cooper hijacked Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305, which was travelling from Portland, Oregon, to Seattle, Washington. During the flight, Cooper informed a flight attendant that he had a bomb and demanded $200,000 in ransom (equivalent to about $1.5 million today) and four parachutes. After the plane landed in Seattle, Cooper released the passengers but insisted that the plane be refuelled for a flight to Mexico City.

Roughly 30 minutes into the flight, Cooper removed his tie and jumped from the plane over Southwest Washington, taking the ransom money and the parachutes with him. Despite extensive searches and investigations, both his identity and whereabouts remain a mystery.

Private investigator Eric Ulis, however, believes the case is “solvable.”

Since becoming deeply involved in the investigation in 2008, Ulis has unearthed significant information that might unlock the mystery surrounding Cooper. A crucial piece of evidence, according to Ulis, is the tie that Cooper left behind when he jumped from the plane. The tie contains DNA that could potentially reveal Cooper’s identity, and as Ulis hopes, it may just be the clue that will ‘tie it all together.’

In 2001, the FBI conducted DNA tests on the tie pin, but the results were inconclusive. Shortly after, the FBI shifted its focus to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and as Ulis explains, the D.B. Cooper case was “put on the backburner.” Although the FBI resumed the investigation in 2003 and 2004, they officially closed the case in 2016.

Frustrated with the inconclusive DNA results, Ulis later sued the FBI, claiming they had failed to properly test a critical part of the tie known as the spindle. While he lost the case, Ulis’s persistence kept attention on the investigation. His efforts paid off in 2023 when the FBI reopened the case and conducted another DNA test on the tie.

“I have seen the files,” Ulis claims. “I believe the FBI came up with a pretty good profile… strong enough to find who D.B. Cooper is.” His optimism stems not only from the renewed investigation but also from his belief in the potential of DNA evidence to yield new insights.

In addition to his faith in the DNA evidence, Ulis has developed his own theory about Cooper’s identity based on a new analysis of the tie. He discovered that the tie contains trace elements of rare metals, including titanium, which were not commonly accessible in 1971. This discovery has led Ulis to believe that “D.B. Cooper, or who he may have been, worked for the specialty metals industry in Pennsylvania”.

With this theory in mind, Ulis continues to investigate, determined that the information he has gathered, along with advancements in DNA testing, could finally uncover the true identity of one of America’s most infamous hijackers. As he delves deeper into the case, Ulis remains hopeful that the advances of modern forensic science will yield the answers long sought by investigators and enthusiasts alike.

With each passing year, the legend of D.B. Cooper only grows, but for Eric Ulis, the prospect of solving this enduring mystery is not just a possibility- it’s a mission. As he pursues new leads and examines old evidence, he stands at the forefront of an investigation that could finally unravel one of aviation history’s greatest enigmas.

George H, Year 8