BruceSmith

I believe the info from Ralph H. is correct. DB sat in seat 18C (an aisle seat on the port side) when he gave the Flight Attendant the note. However, when on the flight to "Mexico" he sat in 18E with Tina in 18F starboard side. With no other passengers in the back of the plane, he had his choice of seats. By sitting were he did he was not an easy target for FBI snipers outside the plane (Tina was in between he and the outside and pinned in place). Bob sailshaw That is very plausible imo. Then, where is Billy Mitchell? It is my understanding that he was sitting in 18 B and sprawled out - school books on C and coat on A.

I think the notion of asking passengers take a look at pictures of the suspects is a great idea. Go, Jerry! Along those lines, I've developed a photo gallery of the leading suspects, confessees, and other notables. In addition, I have gathered all the composites that I can find. Thanks to all for your consent. Thanks, Airtwardo, for helping me to get the clicky to work. http://themountainnewswa.net/2012/02/23/suspects-in-the-db-cooper-skyjacking-sketches-pictures-and-comparisons/#more-4955

I just watched the first part of "in search of" and they said he was the 36th passenger to board. (quick check) So, DBC was the 36th passenger and only 35 got off the plane?

In reviewing who our mystery passenger might be, I have come across another mystery, the McPhersons. In his book, Richard Tosaw mentions a "Bill McPherson and his son, Scott." However, at the symposium in Portland last November, Carol Abracadabra posted the passenger list from the Seattle Times and it included three McPhersons: 1. Bill McPherson 2. S. McPherson (son) 3. Scott McPherson Can anyone tell me what is going on with this family? Do we have two different families, or one family with a lot of S's? Also, the Seattle Times list has 36 names, including the three McPhersons, so, was Dan Cooper the 37th passenger, then? I have been operating under the assumption that DB Cooper surrendered 36 passengers in Seattle for the loot and chutes. Lastly, if S. McPherson (son) and Scott McPherson are one and the same person, do we only have 35 passengers plus DB C? Or have I lost somebody? Or Gawd-Forbid (!) the FBI screwed up the passenger list? Or the Seattle Times, etc.... Thanks.

Galen's book is way overdue. Wonder what he is up to? 377 I'll give him a call. It's been awhile. The last I'd heard was it was 41 below and he had a hot court case.

Your journalistic energy is really appreciated Bruce. It would be interesting to see what other cockpit crew members might recall. 377 Thanks, Mark. Speaking of journalistic energies, Geoffrey emailed today asking about Sheridan. GG may be heading out that way to pick up the hunt again.

Dewey Max COOPER Birth Date: 11 Aug 1931 Death Date: May 1985 Social Security Number: Quote I am following up with Marla to clarify. LD's DOB of Septemebr 17, 1931 is what is engraved on his gravestone. However, Marla is beginning to question the veracity of what is written in stone, though, and she says she has two marriage licenses for LD that state his DOB as 1933. She thinks that the descrepancy may have arisen by his desire to enter the military early, at 17. So, 9.17.33 makes LD 38 years old in November, 1971. Hmmmm.

Weather report from Captain Tom Bohan, 1.30.12; contact info provided by Snowmman. I spoke with Captain Tom Bohan’s wife, Sharon Bohan, today. Sadly, Captain Bohan passed away in 1993. However, Sharon clearly remembered his affection for the DB Cooper saga, and we had a brief, but animated conversation.. “The weather was horrible that night, from what he told me,” Sharon said. In addition, she said that Tom was convinced that DB Cooper survived the jump, but is “hanging in a tree somewhere.” Sharon promised me that she would peruse Tom’s log books and find the names of his flight crew for that night. She confirmed that Captain Bohan was flying a 727 from Sea-Tac to Portland, and was a few minutes behind Flight 305. She also said that Tom became a “good friend” of Ralph Himmelsbach. Captain Bohan was a big fan of the DB Cooper caper, and Sharon said they went to the Ariel Tavern on several occasions for the Cooper Daze Festival, and that they frequently roamed the woods looking for evidence of DB Cooper.

Marla Cooper told ABC her uncle was a Korean War veteran, and according to a public records search a Lynn D. Cooper, who was born Sept. 17, 1931, joined the Navy and served in Korea. He died on April 30, 1999 and was buried in Bend, Ore. Other records show a Lynn Doyle Cooper with the same date of death but 1932 birth date buried in the same cemetery. These records also indicate that he was born in Shellknob, Mo, this would make him 39 in 1971. Nevada public records, show that an Oklahoma resident named Lynn Doyle Cooper, married a woman from Nebraska in October 1973 in Nevada. Due to the discrepancies of the public records, it's not clear that the man buried in Oregon is the same as the man who married in Nevada or that either are connected to Marla Cooper, The next problem I had with Marla was the correction she gave Nolan Clay on the spelling of Dewey by spelling it Dewie? this coming from someone who has researched her Family for over a year? Quote Marla just responded to my email inquiry on this matter. She confirmed LD's DOB as Spetember 17, 1931. She says his Nevada marriage license has incorrect information. The error in spelling Dewey's name is her's and she pleads a mild form of dyslexia induced by fatigue.

Again, far afield, but I've just spent the day talking with the PIO at Mount Rainier about the four overdues and the other - now add two more - snow shoers rescued a week ago. A total of seven climbers got in trouble two weeks ago. We did a comprehensive overview of the conditions and the resulting searches, which involved backcountry rangers from as far away as Denali. It's posted on the Mountain News. Roberto B, I encourage you to add your comments regarding your experiences in the wild - both skilled and foolish. You've looked the tiger in the eye. Folks would want to know what you've seen. [url]http://themountainnewswa.net/2012/01/28/anatomy-of-the-search-for-the-four-overdue-hikers-at-mount-rainier/[url/] Hmmm, I'm having trouble making the clicky work. Any suggestions?

Here are a few anecdotal examples, in case this has been lost in the mix of personal agendas here - this is what was originally at stake...: _ "A meteorologist has told me that the periods between fronts in this area often produce reversal systems for a short period. I believe that is what Bohan was experiencing. And those reverses can be nasty." (researcher) _ "Bohan's fellow pilots were interviewed. He was thorough and he knew the PDX glide-slope like the back of his hand. It was his regular run. And he flew the 727 for Continental. If he was landing at PDX with strong winds from 160-66, he would have been using runway 100 coming in from the west... (another researcher) _ "But Rat did see some lights from the his position on the right, which means he could be seeing either Portland or Vancouver coming into view. That is what he said in his interviews with me ..." (researcher) _ "Rat reported icing and turbulence .... he described the flight as 'rough at times' saying he and Scott 'had their hands full through the Washington part of the flight' ..." (researcher) _ "Rataczak told me that there was some turbulence earlier in the flight..............and some icing. But as the plane neared Vancouver/Portland the clouds were broken." (researcher) _ " acquired weather data from NOAA, NWS, PDX airport, Salem, OR balloon releases...........and had experts examine all of them. Also, I inteviewed Bohan's fellow pilots and Bohan's daughter. They told me that you could take Bohan's word to the bank...............everytime. What I could not obtain were flight records into PDX from 1971. That would have helped ... " (former researcher) _ "“The weather had been so terrible—rain, fog, snow—that agents and local law enforcement could not search the flight path on foot.” (Geoffrey Gray, author of Skyjack: The Hunt for D. B. Cooper") _ "The weather the night of DB Cooper's jump was "horrible" - wet, rainy and cold, and very windy. " (Dona Elliott, proprietress of the Ariel Tavern) _ "At one point, a rain-lashed official in a trenchcoat walked up to the door of the plane. He was from the Federal Aviation Administration, but he was very wet. He requested permission to board, apparently an attempt to reason with the skyjacker. " (FBI agent interview & published statement) _ "... we had two flights come in that day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon around 4:00pm. The one in the AM encountered rain and a little turbulence but the one at 4:00pm radioed and said \ he was in severe turbulence and hard rain, he almost turned around and went back, but he came in and landed. He was very glad to be on the ground and his face said it all .... that was at 4:00 oclock. I dont remember any more storm that day and I finally went home about midnight, but we did listen to some of the hijacking chatter that evening" (small airport manager in the corridor) _ “the hijacking occurred two days before the heavy clouds cleared enough to permit a helicopter search of the lava foothills and farmlands.” Despite their efforts, searchers found nothing “and heavy snows soon sealed the woods off.” (The June 16, 1972, issue of Life magazine) Quote I love this. Thanks, G. So, what do we have going in the skies over SW WA on 11.24.71? Really weird weather? Anomalies that sneak past the usual meteorlogical record keeping? Blips in perceptions? Actual proof of the Many Worlds Theory of Physical Reality? Other poorly understood fluctuations in the Quantum Flux or just regional effects of stuff from the boys at MKULTRA?

Bruce is only referencing recent headlines which have used 40, 50, 60, and more years for comparison. So, you can pull in your spurs and stop being a prick! Spare the horse ____________________. You might need a ride some day - Thanks, G - Giddy-up!

BTW: on an unrelated story - four hikers are missing on Mount Rainier - and have been for a week, during which the area got the worst storm in forty years. Drifts in the search area on Mt Rainier are as deep as fifty feet, with 10-15 foot accumulations average. Robert99 replies: You are saying that the previous storm that was as bad as this one was about 1971. Just how bad were the conditions in that storm? Nope, that's not what I'm saying. The storm that hit the PNW in 1971 that is being referenced nowadays is of a date and time that I do not know. Nor do I know how severe it was. All I'm saying is that folks around here are saying, "This storm is the worst in 40 years." What happpened 40 years ago I don't have a clue. meteorlogically.

Quote So, what conditions could have existed on skyjack night that would have provided the basis for the many anecdotal acounts of fierce weather - Louie, Dona, the gal from the symposium, and Capt Bohan? Also, just to set the record straight, I will go into an isobar no matter how close it is to another isobar. especially if I get to talk about DB Cooper. BTW: on an unrelated story - four hikers are missing on Mount Rainier - and have been for a week, during which time we got the worst storm in forty years. Drifts in the search area on Mt Rainier are as deep as fifty feet, with 10-15 foot accumulations on average. I've written a bunch in the Mountain News about this incident, including this piece: http://themountainnewswa.net/2012/01/24/searchers-seize-weather-break-and-swarm-mount-rainier-but-no-sign-of-missing-hikers/#more-4673

Roberto, I thoroughly enjoyed reading your stories about surviving the woods, an unforgiving wilderness and your hubris. Well done.

Hey Bruce! Interview Rataczack about the weather during the trip. Blevins & Porteous forgot to. Quote Bill ain't returning my phone calls or emails, and hasn't for a year or so. As for the weather, we spoke about it briefly during our one phone conversation. I had asked Bill if the pressure bump could have been caused by stormy weather and wiind pushing the stairs back up towards the fuselage. As I recall, he discounted that notion, but did acknowledge that the weather that night was a little "bumpy," or words to that effect. I find it curious that the weather so hard to pin down. On one hand we have the relative calm of the meterological reports and on the other Bohan, Meyer, Dona Elliott and others discussing seemingly near-gale-force blasts. Could this be a sign of highly localized, brief storm activity - a micro burst or something akin?

QuoteBruce, It was heartwarming to think of Sheridan Petersons surprise and pleasure in receiving some holiday cheer from his dropzone colleagues. Thanks for tracking him down and reestablishing a broken connection. Eagle Eye Pete is a fascinating guy aside and apart from any connection to Cooper. I hope we will hear more from him. Quote Thanks Mark, and thanks to all who helped me find Sheridan. I appreciate your kind words and support. Also, Sheridan has asked me again to thank all of you on the DZ for your concern and support. I hope that he will be sharing his thoughts here in the very near future.

Can you ask them to look for the Lost Dutchman Mine during their wilderness lunch break? A Bigfoot pyramid is out there too, I just know it. Forget Carr and Ng. We need Scully and Mulder. 377 Quote Sure thing, Three - Seven -Seven! I could use a gold mine, too! Heck, Jerry has one, why not me? Anyway, Money man has invited me to go with his group, 377. Wanna come along? Jerry T- How about you? I say let's challenge Curtis to a trip in the hills. Those SAs gotta get out in the "field" from time to time, right?

QuoteBruce Smith recalls: “...remember they arrived at Dale Miller's place within the hour when they heard he had LD stuff” Really? Within an hour? That’s 59 minutes and 59 seconds or less from the deepest and darkest of Portland to wherever Miller lives. Quote Calm Down Farf - the feddie teddies came from the Springfield field office a few miles away, I was told. It is my understanding that the Bureau has a small outpost there. No Captain America antics or hyper-dimensional physics were required to gather up LD's toothbrush, combs and what-not. Just a Crown Vic and a grunt. How about a Haiku to celebrate Sheridan's re-emergence upon our blessed lands?

For those that would like to read a slightly expanded version of my recent advertures in California looking for Sherdian, I have posted a second take on the Mountain News: http://themountainnewswa.net/2012/01/07/a-basket-of-cheer-for-sheridan/#more-4433

Quote yup

On Marla: Post after post from many of you with major whining regarding this woman. Fine. If she wants to use the email link and apply for a speaking slot, make the trip up to Seattle this August, okay. Let her do so. It's coopersummereventATgmailDOTCOM But if there were one slot remaining and Tom Kaye applied for one, and the other applicant was Marla, you can figure out who would be selected. If she applies soon enough, so that I don't have to make that choice, I will give her one. Quote You may not want to be too hasty in filling up the dance card. I've recently received two outreaches from good-ole boys in Oregon who are responding to the uptick in Cooper interest. One says he spotted a parachute deep in the woods and the other says he has found a 1970s-era 20 dollar bill, and is orgainzing a team to go back into the brush to find more. He has an attorney, and says the FBI is in frequent contact with him, demandng the exact coordinates and threatening him with criminal activity if he doesn't give them all the loot he finds. Sounds like the Bureau's open-but-not active case is a tad busy these days...remember they arrived at Dale Miller's place within the hour when they heard he had LD stuff. Just saying.

Quote Who's the "family" member, Matt? What does he think about Ted Braden, and would he care to chat about MAC V SOG? I'd love to talk with him. brucesmith@rainierconnect.com; (360) 832-6248 Thanks. Bruce

I found Sheridan Peterson, sort of. Through a quirky twist of family upheaval, my Christmas trip back to New York routed my return through San Francisco, so I decided to hop off my flight and go look for Sheridan Peterson in Windsor California, about 60 miles north of SF. By his own account, Sheridan has been investigated by the FBI twice in the DB Cooper case, and I have sought the man on and off over the past several years. Initially, we had an email correspondence, but Sheridan was mostly tangential and vague. Nevertheless, he definitively declared that he was not DB Cooper and I believe him. However, he is an ideal suspect on paper - a former Boeing employee with a declared interest in the aft stairs of the 727, a former Marine from WW II, and a fearless skydiver and former smokejumper who reportedly jumped for a Boeing promo wearing only a business suit. Plus, he’s the right age for DB Cooper and has most of the physical characteristics. Further, he has an oddball alibi for November 24, 1971, claiming he was living in a mud hut in Nepal with his new wife and two infant kids. As for grudges, he had a ton, including his disgust at US policy in Vietnam where he was working as a state department official in refugee affairs. In addition, he got busted by the local fuzz in Mississippi when he was a civil rights worker in Amite County during the mid-60s. Most of what I know about Sheridan Peterson I have learned through his writings, for he is both a former high school English teacher – including at the nearby Lake Washington HS in Kirkland, WA and at a USAF base in the Philippines, and is an accomplished journalist. His writings are fascinating. The guy has lived a remarkable life – one that I would like to hear more about. He’s worked throughout Asia, including Japan, China and Papua New Guinea, and has also lived in the Middle East, where he departed via a hairy-scary road trip through Iran with his two kids. Yikes! In addition, I wanted to patch things up in our relationship. I greatly offended Sheridan with my writings about him – most notably my accounts of what his family says about him, and he has both hung up the phone on me (I think) and suspended all email communication. Sheridan is about 85 years old – his exact age and birth date is a tad difficult to pin down, but he’s both old and in ill health. In the past year I have heard that he has been afflicted with advancing prostate cancer, which might has metastasized into an eye. Others in the DropZone and the Cooper Sleuthing World have called repeatedly for me to follow-up with Sheridan, and have supported my efforts in a variety of important ways; including one DZer who gave me a huge basket of cheer on behalf of the whole crew to deliver to Sheridan should I ever meet him face-to-face. So, landing in San Francisco on Friday, December 30, 2011 after a mind-numbing flight from JFK, I began my search for “Petey,” as many of us have nick-named him. After a good night’s sleep, I drove a rented Suzuki econo-car through the bowels of San Fran, got on the five lanes of 101 north over the Golden Gate on a 60-degree December 30 Saturday afternoon, and headed to Windsor. Petey’s last reported address was at an assisted-living abode called Vine Crest, ironically numbered 305 (The flight number of the hijacked airplane). His unit is a simple one-story cottage, and judging from what I saw chatting with his neighbors they seem to be a kind of studio apartment affair, with a bed in a large central room that contains a kitchen, with a couple of small rooms out back, which presumably includes a bathroom. No one answered at 305, but I spoke with “Nancy” nearby. I spoke with her for awhile and learned that Sheridan had moved out a few weeks before. Other residents that I met in a spacious community room nearby confirmed that Sheridan had left the first week of November, 2011, but no one knew exactly where he had gone. They also confirmed that Sheridan had lots of medical issues, most seriously the cancer. “Maybe he’s at the Palo Alto VA,” one said. “He’s a vet and he needs lots of medical attention.” Another told me that there was a VA out-patient clinic in Windsor that might know the whereabouts of Sheridan, and a third told me that they thought he had moved to another senior residence, “Perhaps the one that was near the Safeway.” Needing a cuppa java I went looking for all of the above in downtown Windsor. I found a Peet’s Coffee and Tea in an upscale shopping plaza that also contained a Safeway. Buying a 12 ounce drip and a chocolate chip cookie I settled in, organized my notes, and started kibitzing with a few sassy broads my age at the table next to mine. Thirty minutes later I finished my joe, got up and headed towards the door. Halfway there a little voice spoke in my head, the little voice that is so often so right, and it said to ask the gals about Petey. Hence, I stopped and turned around. Kibitzing is one thing; but being approached by a strange hulking guy wearing three coats on a warm winter day in California is another. “Excuse me, but do any of you know a fella named Sheridan Peterson?” I asked, plowing through my social anxiety and the conventions that forbid such boldness. “As a matter of fact, I do,” said one, a woman named Jeanette. I explained my purpose, saying I was a friend, a colleague really, who was looking for Sheridan Peterson and had just learned he had left the Vine Crest apartments. I described much of what I knew about Petey to assuage their anxieties that I might be a real loony. I even gave them a business card, which seemed to satisfy some deep investigatory need in me and them. “I can’t tell you too much,” said Jeanette, “because I have a professional relationship with Sheridan and I need to protect his privacy. But I have a friend named Claire that knows him and she may be able to help you make contact.” Jeannette didn’t offer any contact information, but she did say that she thought that Sheridan may have moved to a senior facility in Santa Rosa, and she gave me a lead in that direction to pursue. I then asked if they could deliver the basket of cheer. “Hunh?!!!” was their immediate response. “I’m not sure I will meet with Sheridan before I have to fly back to Seattle,” I continued. “Could you deliver this to Sheridan or give it to Claire, or anyone else who might be able to get into Sheridan’s hands.” Jeanette and her crew looked surprised, but broke into wide smiles when I retrieved the gift from my Suzuki and plunked it down on their table. “Sure, I guess we can deliver it,” said Jeanette with a distinct tone of bewilderment. I last saw Jeanette waddling out to her car with a heavy and awkward load of wine, cheese and crackers, and I had no idea what would happen next, but I was sure we were heading in the right direction. I drove next to Santa Rosa, Palo Alto and all the other suggestions that folks had given me for Sheridan - but they all came up blank. I returned home a few days later and the calls started coming in. First, Claire called, and then Jeanette emailed. They were on the Hunt, and joyfully announced that they had made contact with Sheridan and were going to see him soon. On Thursday, January 5, they made contact and delivered the basket. Sheridan was touched. My DZ associate had scored a homerun. The gals called and emailed to k’vel about their achievement, but they advised me that Sheridan had insisted that they not reveal his whereabouts or contact information. Nevertheless, Sheridan emailed later that evening to thank me, and demanded that I tell him exactly who and how this fabulous gift had come to him, stressing that he wanted to know how some guy claiming to be a reporter came all the way from Yelm, WA to bring him a basket of cheer. He shared his profound surprise and deep appreciation that the DZ guys cared about him, an old and lonely skydiver. Sheridan exchanged a few more emails with me and along the way he asked that I share one with the DZ, expressing his thanks to all of you. Astonishingly, he says he is blocked from posting on the DZ. Hence, with a great deal of honor I am carrying his thanks to all of you. Here is Sheridan’s email: "Bruce Smith, Who would believe it? You received this gift from a "drop zone" chum and traveled all the way from Yelm, Washington to Windsor, CA present it to me. Not finding me at Vinecrest Senior Apartments, you handed it to someone who knew someone who knew me.. The two women delivered the package just now. I was a bit chagrin when you posted an interview of my brother and sister-in-law on Drop Zone. It was quite terrible and left me in a state of fury for weeks. Then I learned that Carr was an FBI agent and so I assumed that you may be too. Being an ardent liberal and hating Obama for betraying us, I grew cautious. So many evil things have surfaced lately such as Obama renewing the Patriot Act, the preditor drones, and then yesterday the signing into law a bill that will allow the president to incarcerate innocent Americans and confine them as long as he wishes. A Kiwi from Christchurch , New Zealand sent me an article on Facebook from a small town in Washington. suspecting me of being D. B. .Cooper ( Wow, what a sentence.). Now I know who wrote it.. However, I was thrilled to get the marvelous gift as any lonely old man would be. It is quite horrible getting old in America especially if one is so totally isolated as I am..Tell me. Who is (your DZ chum)? Are you allowed to tell? I am not paranoiac, for paranoia is fear and loathing without reason. I assume that you are a rather complex person with a great deal of curiosity. Nevertheless, I must thank the giver of the gift. I can't rest until I do. Thank you, Sheridan." © 2011 Bruce A. Smith

When I was still working, a detective who began work on a cold case, sometimes 10 years old, would go back to the original crime report and make a list of what needed to be done. Then read the case file to see if all had been done or if there were errors or omissions. The FBI did on Cooper what had worked before and after on hijackings, it just didn’t work this time. I know if the agent could go back and redo the initial investigation he would, and I think may have found Coop. But 20/20 hindsight is a wonderful ability. Quote So, Rosie B, what would you do if you were in charge of the Cooper case? What would be your priorities? What would be your methods?