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The shocking true story behind D.B. Cooper – was he ever found?

The Netflix series, D.B. Cooper: Where Are You?, has gripped fans

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Francesca Shillcock
Senior Features Writer
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Netflix's latest documentary series, D.B. Cooper: Where Are You? has clearly gone down well with fans of true-crime as the four-part show has not left the top ten trending titles since it landed on the streaming giant earlier this month.

MORE: Netflix's D.B. Cooper: Where Are You?! will be your next true-crime obsession

The show seeks to explore the fascinating case of a man, only known as his alias, D.B. Cooper, who jumped out of an airplane with $200,000 on his person in 1971. The circumstances around his disappearance have been described as seriously intriguing and shocking. But whatever happened to him? Here's the story…

WATCH: Have you watched the Netflix true-crime series yet?

What happened to D.B. Cooper?

A man who called himself Dan Cooper (but was referred to by the media as DB Cooper) boarded a flight across the US. After threatening a stewardess named Florence Schaffner with a note that read he was hiding a bomb in his suitcase, he demanded $200,000 was handed to him in cash along with four parachutes.

Dan also told the pilots to divert the plane towards Mexico City and remain in the cockpit. Thankfully, the plane landed safely but, after sounding the alarm and emerging from the cockpit, they then discovered an open door – he had jumped and was nowhere to be seen.

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dbcooper 1© Photo: Netflix

Have you seen the documentary yet?

What D.B. Cooper ever found?

Due to the crime taking place in 1970, the case of DB Cooper has always been an enormously difficult one to crack. Police techniques, such as DNA, were not around in that time and a body was never found – meaning the mystery lives on.

It was also made difficult because although five aircraft were following the hijacked plane which was holding Cooper, none of them saw him jump due to the darkness, so the timing and location of his jump and subsequent landing is not known.

dbcooper 2© Photo: Netflix

DB Cooper was never found

By 1976, the FBI, who set up an investigation into the plane hijacking known as Norjack, had interviewed over 800 suspects as well as witnesses who claim that have met the real Dan Cooper.

Eventually, after many more men become lead suspects but to no avail, the case was then dropped in 2016 and remains unsolved.

dbcooper 3© Photo: Netflix

To this day, the case remains unsolved

What are the fans saying about Netflix's D.B. Cooper: Where Are You?

Fans have been loving the show and have been giving their views and theories on social media. One person tweeted: "I think he pancaked. Jumping into that terrain at night. He must have hit a tree at least. I’d liked him to get away with though #DBCooperWhereAreYou."

A second said: "This #DBCooperWhereAreYou is pretty fascinating and really entertaining @netflix," as a third wrote: "Gotta hand it to Dan Cooper (assuming that's his real name). One of the few mysteries that human beings have been unable to crack. #DBCooperWhereAreYou." 

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