Kamkisky

That five in the bottom left looks like the erosion pattern of the Cooper money to me. You also are very light on the why. Somebody just tossed it near the river. That’s pretty weak. It could happen but is not really a reason, it’s just pushing off the actual reason. The best answer I hear for this is because the money was hot so someone wanted to get rid of it…by just throwing it near the river. Ehh…it’s so soft of a rationale.

Even if you skip the how you’re still left with a why. Why was the money near/in the river upstream or a sand bank? I just imagine myself on a beach. I dig a hole. I put a bundle of money in it with no plastic or other serious protection…just cash and rubber bands (maybe paper bands). I then fill that hole. What’s my thought process possibilities? If I never want it to be found I’d be thinking this is a dumb idea. Buried things in sand get found all the time, erosion is real, people use this beach, etc. If I was thinking I want it found/recovered by myself or someone else…it needs to be found shortly or it will get ruined. So my reason requires either myself or another person to intentionally come and get it soon. The only other reason that could make sense is I do want it found but not intentionally by myself or another person. I want it to be found randomly…but why? Could be Tina for Tena. Could be to throw a wrench in the case/search. But as I would be covering up the hole I’d have to consider that the money could be found and neither of those things happen. The most likely scenario of a random person finding the money is they keep and Tina or the cops never know. I’d think this was a dumb idea. For me the most logical reason is I want it recovered soon by myself or someone I’ve told. Second best reason is to have it gone forever, but I’m doing it in kinda a stupid way. Just sinking it in the river is better than buried on the beach (and of course the most obvious option of burning it…which I could even do at Tena Bar). The distant third is wanting a random person to find it to send a message to Tina or the cops.

Natural vs Mechanical vs Human I was a little surprised to hear Ryan say he still likes natural means. Natural and mechanical both suffer from a major problem. They require two solutions. Not only do these require explanations for how the money was moved to Tena Bar, but also how did the money get to where it was before being moved to Tena bar. You have to explain *why* the money was in/near the river or in a sand bar and then explain *how* it was moved to Tena Bar. Human intervention requires only one explanation. Why. It avoids having to link why with how. That’s a simpler explanation. Someone dug a hole on that beach and buried money without protection (no bag, wrapping, etc.). There’s very few reasons that can make sense.

He had two similar -but not exact- back chutes and he chose one. What does this tell us? It tells us he didn’t choose none or both. That’s about it. The rest is 50/50.

Ryan has discussed this before. Skip Hall was only in prison in Cuba before Cooper as far as I can tell. So this dude would have to have been in a Cuba prison and why would someone go through all that trouble to say this to her if it was true? What’s the value add here? And why Flo instead of Tina? This is part of why the crew hasn’t been as active as possible, to many weirdos came at them.

Let’s assume he wanted to go to Mexico as you claim. What was his jump plan?

I’m unclear how many times I’ll need to write this is a strawman.

He knew where he started from, and where he came from. He knew the location they were heading towards, he had just negotiated it. He could tell which direction they went at take off. He knew they weren’t flying full speed and the length of time he was in the air. He knew the terrain from the air and land. He knew 10k ft was below mountains to the east. Pilots could see lights, he could too. Your theory he was totally clueless about his location is what’s not supported by the evidence.

What does H want the money for?

South is a direction. It’s the direction he wanted to go based on every statement he made (that’s the totality of the evidence…as in all of it). The path, used as a substitute for airway, was not discussed with him and he didn’t bring it up. That’s stuff ATC and the pilots and NWA kicked around without Cooper’s knowledge. It’s totally irrelevant to anything he said or did, he never knew about it. We are trying to find out Cooper’s thoughts and actions, not the pilots. The ‘Cooper knew they could only take V23’ bit is a strawman. That’s not the argument being made. This many pages in that should be clear by now.

The reason he accepts Reno -when he knows he can go to Mexico- is “respect” for the crew? I can’t get there. Also, if he thought Reno was a setup that’s even more reason to demand Mexico. And of course he would think every time he lands the plane could be stormed, that’s baked in from the start to all skyjackings.

This is why debate is good. This post is easily the one you’ve made on this topic that I agree with the most. There’s a fact pattern. And I fully agree on his primary goal. Where we part is I don’t think Mexico was ever his goal. And I think his LZ is a matter of magnitudes more important than the other items mentioned. - He had a chute in his possession. He clearly had determined he trusted it enough he would jump with it. Asking for another is marginal considering the circumstances. - He has the money. Rigging a bag is annoying…but that’s about it. He clearly trusted his skills in tying it to himself. Asking for another knapsack is marginal considering the circumstances. - Changing his LZ from Mexico to pre-Reno is a *massive* change. The other two are whatever's comparatively. This one is life and death, freedom or prison. Getting the money is part one, getting away with it is the more important part two. This theory is he completely abandoned his part two because the pilots told him some crap he knew wasn’t true. I can’t get past it. I think most men in his situation tells the pilots no more funny stuff and to fly to Mexico…get this show on the road.

Forget gaslit. Why would a man skyjacking a plane he *knows* can fly to Mexico allow others to tell him it can’t and totally change his plans based on that information he knows to be untrue?

Why would Cooper allow himself to be gaslit about the distance the plane could fly?

Again, strawman. My claim is Cooper wanted the plane to go south (FBI agrees). He wanted this because south would take him to the farmland north of Vancouver (geography as a discipline and maps in general agree). I believe he wanted to jump into that type of terrain vs other options (common sense and I bet skydivers agree). He could see distinctive lights (Pilots agree). I think he jumped the lights (Mac agrees). Cooper kept it simple and was successful (50+ years of freedom agrees). A to B over terrain he knows. It has a lot of advantages. Path vs direction changes none of it. Let me make this as clear as I can…he wanted south from SeaTac it is the pilots/GC and you that struggle with this path business. Cooper had no such struggles. How long till you think you’ll have it solved?