**Established:**
The hijacking occurred on November 24, 1971. The man used the alias Dan Cooper. He received $200,000 in microfilmed $20 bills and four parachutes, one of which was non-functional. He released the passengers at Sea-Tac and retained the flight crew. He jumped from the aft stair of the aircraft during the flight south. The plane landed in Reno without him. He left behind a tie, a tie clip, a briefcase, and three of the four parachutes. On February 10, 1980, Brian Ingram found $5,800 of the ransom at Tena Bar. The serial numbers matched. The FBI confirmed the find.
**Not established:**
Cooper’s real name and identity. Whether he survived the jump. Where he landed if he survived. Why the Tena Bar bills were at that location. Whether any of the many investigated suspects was Cooper. Whether the DNA on the tie belongs to Cooper. Whether the microscopic particles on the tie indicate anything specific about his background. Whether any living person today has direct knowledge of what happened.
**Specifically excluded by evidence or the FBI:**
Richard McCoy Jr. as a suspect (excluded by the FBI based on physical description, though some private researchers continue to argue the case). The idea that the case has been solved or that Cooper has been identified—no authoritative finding supports this.
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## A Name That Doesn’t Belong to Anyone
Dan Cooper bought a ticket, hijacked a plane, took $200,000, and jumped into the dark. He did this efficiently, without violence, without apparent panic, and without leaving enough of himself behind to be found.