FLYJACK

Hahneman flew via air taxi from New Jersey to Allentown, stayed in a hotel for 3 days using a false name then took a cab to the airport to hijack a 727 for ransom..

Simple, the Cowlitz sheriff was convinced the placard came from Cooper but the FBI wasn't and they had to walk it back.. This article plus the images/info I found convince me that it is very unlikely the placard came from Cooper. This is the crazy nature of this Cooper case, what at first seems to be a fact just isn't. Eugene Register-Guard Jan 19,1979 Decal’s link to hijacker discounted "SEATTLE (AP) - a heavy plastic placard found in a heavily forested area of southwest Washington could have dropped off any passing Boeing 727, not necessarily the plane skyjacked by the legendary D.B.Cooper, officials acknowledge. The FBI said Thursday the placard could have dropped from a plane during a re-enactment of the incident six weeks after the 1971 hijacking. Cowlitz County Sheriff Les Nelson said the placard was of the type posted next to the rear exits of 727’s and added, “It’s one in a million that any other plane could have lost it in the area in which D.B. Cooper jumped.” The FBI, however, said the placard, posted on the outside of the jetliner, could have dropped off almost any 727 that flew over southwest Washington during the past eight years. Ray Mathis, FBI spokesman in Seattle, said the hijacked plane was used in a simulation of the hijacking, and, “we noticed the decal was missing after that, but not before.” Those placards have been known to fall off on the runway,” added a Boeing spokesman. It was disclosed Wednesday that an elk hunter found the notice last November about 12 miles east of Kelso.The discovery was kept quiet while FBI and Cowlitz County sheriff’s detectives tried to verify the placard’s origin. A person identifying himself as D.B. Cooper hijacked a Northwest Orient plane Thanksgiving eve on a flight between Portland and Seattle. He received $200,000 and jumped from the plane. Authorities have seen neither Cooper nor the money since."

FOUND IT... I had it on my computer but forgot about it.. The 727 emergency aft airstair placard and door. This real image matches diagrams. The Hicks Placard is inconsistent with this 727 emergency release placard. Hicks placard looks too large and has the rivet/screw/fastener holes. The access door has none. If the placard was attached on the wall above the access door then pieces trapped under the rivet/screw/fasteners would have remained and been noticed. The placard looked too clean to be in the woods seven years. The emergency aft airstair release placard part number also references the 737, early 737's had side aft airstairs built in. Conclusion, unlikely the Hicks placard came from NORJAK. NORJAK 727 SN 18807 built 10/22/65 this image from 727 SN 18998 built 03/13/66

Found this, very interesting though some errors (assumptions).. "On the night of 24 November 1971 a man who became known as D. B. Cooper boarded a Northwest Airlines 727 in Portland OR and then demanded $200,000 in cash and five parachutes, ransom money, and crews to open the back door and he parachuted out of the Seattle-bound plane with the ransom money. He was never found, nor was any validated evidence of him. Beginning in ca. 2000 a youth reportedly found scraps of the marked ransom money along the Columbia River near Vancouver WA. Other reports spotted fragments of his parachute; this has been repudiated. The 190th FIS scrambled two armed F-102A interceptors to shadow the hijacked plane, but the hijacker's cleverness and the nighttime conditions prevented very close observation of the airliner. 190th Pilot Major Gene Winchester recalls the incident and his story in this chapter reveals how carefully planned and executed was 'Cooper's Caper'. In October, the 190th alert crews were called on to assist in what has become known as the D B Cooper Affair. Lee Bernasconi was the 190th's Alert Detachment Commander at the time, and when I asked him about it and who was on alert when it happened, he replied, "Ahh, Winchester ... and I can't remember who else was on that night, Thanksgiving night, or maybe the Friday after Thanksgiving. [Laughing] I was at my home on Cole and Victory, and the phone rings, and two airplanes takeoff. I said, "That's my alert birds!" My home was at Cole and Victory. I said, "Hey, that's my alert birds! What's going on?" They [the night crew in the CAC] said they didn't know—so that's about all I knew. And our interceptors got over there and got generally behind him, but they didn't get there until after he crossed the Columbia River, and I think Cooper was already gone by then. And they followed him for a ways, and finally went in ... refueled, and came home. They didn't have radio contact with the airliner, and... probably stayed two miles back most of the time Gene Winchester remembers that Thanksgiving very well when he and Jack Newland were on alert, and at about 4:50 p.m. "... we got a telephone call saying there was a hijacking taking place, and they were airborne at the time and ... they told us to stand by. And then I guess they landed at Seattle first, and picked up the money and four parachutes and ... then they went over to Portland and landed again and let some of the passengers off. They called us and said this guy has commandeered the plane, and he's got the chutes and the money, and he's at Portland and ... ''what we want you to do is be at Portland in the traffic pattern—don't get too close that you'll bother him or startle him—but we'll put you on him in trail' and they figured he's going to bail out somewhere and so you just follow him, and don't get too close to scare him. The thing was, they told us 'when he bails out the commercial pilot would turn all his lights back on bright flash', and we would fly a triangle pattern to mark this spot on the radar. That was our briefing. "So Jack Newland and I took off and ... watched him take off from Portland and we snuck in to ... about a mile in trail—and it was a little difficult, he was only going 150. And he was staying about 10,000 feet." Recalling his previous cargo plane flying days, Winchester figured "... he'd maintain that altitude and airspeed as a safety factor because if he bailed out at a higher velocity... I had a little trouble keeping flying, so I'd get up on the perch and when I was about to stall, I'd go over and sit on the other side. And the lights never came on—the 'bright- flash' signal—when he jumped out. And I was told that he had displayed a weapon and told the crew to shut the cabin door. So they never knew exactly when he bailed out, that's why they didn't turn the lights on." Winchester continues, "So, evidently he went out there, and we had no way of knowing, and we followed that airliner to Reno—Jack and I, it was Thanksgiving evening, I remember that. We were worried about getting home for Thanksgiving dinner! But our briefing was 'he was going to land at Reno and refuel, and we don't want you to land on the same base with him', so we went over to Hamilton, I believe it was, and they would call us when he took off. I watched him land and that back door of that airplane was dragging on the runway and shooting sparks like—you know when you put a knife on the grinder?!It looked like the sparks was going 50 feet in the air! It's dark, and we probably.... got up there about somewhere around 6 o'clock—it was VFR, it was great—a clear night and we could see other airplanes ... and there were a couple F-106s out of McChord, they came down and were available for a while, then they went back. And we asked Maj Gene Winchester 'What are our instructions?' They said 'Well, we don't know if he's still on the airplane, or if he went out the back door when it stopped, he might be here, we 're going to make a cordon, a perimeter off, and do a ground search... And you go over there and get out of the way and fill up 'cause we think he might be going to Mexico; you might be following him to Mexico And I thought 'That sounds interesting!' So we sit over there for, I don't know, several hours. And then they called us and said 'you could go home'. We got back here about 7:00 a.m., Jack and I."1 Winchester had no direct radio contact with the airline crew, only with FAA Controllers. In the darkness and following in-trail at a safe distance, they never saw Cooper leave the airliner."

This is the most amazing thing I found while looking for the placard... though the aft door is closed.. 727 tour. https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=rtPb7TAsPC8

I think this is the Placard part number, haven't found an image to confirm yet. 0178AD DECAL - EMERGENCY AIR STAIR HANDLE AFT COMM 0178AD Marker-"Emergency etc." Aero Decals 0178AD, 0178EWRV2FST, Boeing BAC27DPA182 http://www.ozindustrial.com/?page_id=220&partid=592287&partSupplier=Boeing It shows for a Boeing (727, 737 series).. the earlier 737 had integrated aft airstair option (side) they were known to pop open. https://www2.partslogistics.com/demo/search-part_num-BAC27.html https://www.veritableaviation.com/parts-manufacturer-approval/gm-nameplate/bac27dpa182/ Marker - Emergency Airstair Control . . . (Boeing BAC27DPA182) Details Available 0178AD Details Available Boeing (727, 737 Series)

Found a later 24 FT back rig.. "For sale is a vintage Irvin Military parachute. Lettering on the pack says: Irvin Standard Air Chute. Type: Flexible Back. Item is complete with pilot chute, main canopy, pack, harness, ripcord, back pad, etc. Documents in the Packing and Inspection Data pouch include a Parachute Inspection Tag that indicates that the canopy is a Reliance 24' made in Nov 1961." https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Irvin-Military-backpack-parachute-with-harness-etc-/173771843458?hash=item28759be782%3Ag%3A9lgAAOSw6IdcU4Km&nma=true&si=dF1ZdeGgD4FTm7g1W5AH2Nhxpow%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

DC-9 also has an optional red handle cable pull emergency aft airstair release system.. looking further..

You didn't answer the question,, Did Cooper jump with one of Hayden' back chutes both "Pioneers" or the NB6/8? "_______ advised that he doubts the person who committed this crime was a sky diver. He noted that he has heard that the parachutes furnished to the man were a Commercial brand named ''Pioneer" and a now surplus Navy parachute designated "NB-8”. He stated if this is a fact he doubts the man is a sky diver inasmuch as anyone with sky-diving would have asked for a sky-diving type parachute, which neither of the above are. ________ advised that the above parachutes would be hazardous to use inasmuch as that type of chute would open very quickly, with a possibility of tearing, and both have a high rate of descent and very limited control. In his opinion, a person using such a chute would probably have prior military jumping experience but would not have sky-diving experience. He further noted that an experienced sky diver would have asked for a Chute such as a "Para-Commander", which would be readily .available in an area such as Seattle, Washington. This type of parachute opens more slowly, ls very maneuverable and has a much slower rate of descent." The 24ft might be a typo.. the takeaway is the SN and date for the Pioneer left on the plane differ from the Pioneer back chute Hayden got returned. 24 foot U.S. MILITARY PARACHUTE MFG Pioneer back pack Parachute dated July 1946 https://www.ebay.ca/itm/24-foot-U-S-MILITARY-PARACHUTE-MFG-Pioneer-Parachute-july-1946/162103956850?hash=item25be261572:g:DAYAAOSwGIRXYBsk a 24ft pilot chute B-8 from 1944?? http://www.303rdbg.com/uniforms-gear7.html

Did Cooper jump with Hayden's back chute or Cossey's back chute? That letter is not inconsistent.. if you read it the letter only states that Hayden sent two back chutes to NorthWest Airlines.. not Cooper. You keep claiming you believe the letter but it isn't contradictory.

jumping back to the Hayden chutes.. I found that the era Steinthal chutes use the S/N form year-number like "60-9707" made in 1960. Houston, WE HAVE A PROBLEM. Either the FBI mixed up the Cossey and Hayden chutes and/or they are holding back info only known to Cooper.... The back chute found on the plane doesn't match the one returned to Hayden. That indicates Cooper used Cossey's chute.. "On seat 18B, an unopened back type parachute was observed. A card in the pocket of this parachute reflected it to be a Conacol type parachute, number 60-9707 and made by the Pioneer Parachute Company. This card indicated it was last inspected on May 21, 1971." 1. MAKE: Pioneer TYPE: 26 ft white ripstop conical, SERIAL NO: 226, DATE OF MFR 9/57 (1957) --- packed by Cossey 5/21/71 (Hayden got this one back) 2. MAKE: Pioneer TYPE: 24 ft white ripstop conical, SERIAL NO: 60-9707, DATE OF MFR: 7/60 (1960) --- packed by Cossey 5/21/71 (This back chute was left on the plane, ID'd by National Guard in Reno) The front reserve was a Switlik 1959..

I was thinking before the 727 and DC-9 era.. Besides the Martin 220/440, the Convair CV-240 had tail stairs, there was also a military variant, not sure if it had the tail stairs. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convair_CV-240_family

Looking for "placards" that are held on with "rivets/screws" I found the Martin 202A.. they also had ventral airstairs. They were also used by Northwest. Cooper had aviation experience but didn't understand the operation for the 727 airstairs, maybe he got the jump idea from the older gen Martin 202A... were there any other older gen planes with ventral stairs? EDIT: there was also the later Martin 404 with ventral stairs and pressurized, which was also used in the navy. Maybe Cooper flew or was involved with these planes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_4-0-4 I always thought Cooper Boeing employee and 727 expert was a red herring.. If Cooper was in "aviation" or flew frequently and 45-50 yrs old, he'd have exposure to these..

Most were installed by Boeing on the early 727-100's Hominid is correct some kits were sold "after"... The placard may been custom or factory or there may have been no placard.. The placard looks like it has a number on it bottom right, that is probably a part number that the FBI used to claim it matches a 727.. that indicates it was a Boeing part, not custom. If it came during NORJAK without the access door then pieces would have been left behind on the wall, noticed and can be matched, it wasn't. The FBI claimed it "matched" placards for the 727 not that exact 727. If it came off with the access door it would have been noticed missing. Conclusion, unlikely it came off during NORJAK.

I think the placard was on the emergency access door, it may have been above but unlikely. Why,, the holes from rivets/screws/fasteners or "whatever" would not be there to hold the placard to the wall or anything. It is a decal.. The access door needs something to affix it to the underlying panel that releases when pulled. The finger holes at the top makes the 5 clip pattern I suggested work. The pull leverage is from the top down. You would need at least 5 points for spring or tension clips to hold it securely. So, the placard/decal is stuck to the access door and the access door has 5 "rivets/screws/fasteners" holding clips to the backside of it. The rivet/screw heads are on top of the placard/decal. That suggests placard/decal was affixed to door before clips and originally by Boeing. It is unlikely you'd get that pattern of tear holes in the placard any other way. I'd expect 5 plastic spring clips permanently attached to the back of the plastic access door.. probably rivets but maybe screws or something similar? SOOOO, if the access door went missing during NORJAK why didn't they notice it?

I give up... you've lost the plot

WE don't know if they were rivets we are using that term for brevity.. Those rivets/screws/fasteners - whatever - would not be attached to the al frame, they'd be permanently attached to some clip or release on the back of the access door.. the back of that access door probably has 5 clips on it.

You are getting lost in the weeds.. rivets were used for solid signage. The placard found was a thin decal that was folded up.. there are no similar ones fixed with rivets/screws/fasteners. That indicates the holes in the placard were not used to affix it but something else it was stuck to.

We are using the term rivet, but they may be some fastener that enables a release from the wall. They held the thicker plastic access door to the wall not the placard to the door. My point is the "rivets/screws/fasteners" weren't for the placard at all, they were for the plastic access door.

right, that is the main door.. I found no rivets for any similar placards that suggests the rivets weren't for the placard but for the emergency access panel itself. When pulled they release from wall. something like this..

It could have been the jet blast,, still lots of unknowns. It does look like it was ripped off top downward, the missing piece remaining center bottom.. the rivet/screw stopping that portion below from separating.

One possibility is that the placard was stuck on the access door just below the finger holes,, the rivet/screws held the access door to the panel but released when pulled, The placard would be below those. Note that there is no rivet/screw on the top center of the placard.

I agree, you'd think it would be an adhesive decal.. the placard found wasn't and it had those rivet/screw holes.. I can't find any "placard" examples like that. Would one of the 727 prototypes have use rivets/screws for the placard?

way to big.. proportions are off, descriptive but not accurate

I was trying to figure that out, the angle in that image distorts, the placard may fit just under the holes, but the rivet/screws don't make sense to me.. the access door may not be exactly the same for all planes. The Boeing doc stated that the main door is 2.5x larger.. and all information confirms finger pulls. My opinion is that it probably didn't come from that plane, but still trying to sort it out. Real images are tough to find.. diagrams show a decal on the access door, but if that placard doesn't fit on the door it probably didn't come from that plane,, hard to tell though. This is the only other real pic I could find,, appears to be a placard on the emergency access door.