A look back at local, national and global events through the Deseret News archives.

On November 24, 1971, a hijacker calling himself “Dan Cooper” – but who soon became colloquially known as “DB Cooper” – parachuted from a Northwest Orient Airlines 727 over the Pacific Northwest after receiving $200,000 in ransom.

His fate remains unknown and his disappearance remains one of the most famous unsolved cases in FBI history.

The Deseret News reported the hijacking on Thanksgiving Day and followed the case for days. Amazingly, it was one of two hijackings that week in the western US

“Caper escapes; Two parachutes are missing,” read the headline on November 25.

“RENO, Nev. – A hijacker apparently parachuted to freedom from a commandeered passenger plane after extorting $200,000 from North Airlines with a bomb threat, authorities say.”

Over the years, the cold case has warmed and cooled in the search for Cooper.

Was he a Provo man named Richard Floyd McCoy, who hijacked a Boeing 727, ransomed it for $500,000 and parachuted into Utah County on April 7, 1972?

Was he a college professor named Williams “Wolfgang” Gossett, who lived and worked in Ogden for a time and told his family he was the mystery man?

In 1980, a camper found some $20 bills on the bank of the Columbia River, near Portland, Oregon. The money turned out to be part of the $200,000 ransom Cooper was carrying when he parachuted. The banknotes have fetched high prices at auctions over the years.

Reportedly, 159 hijackings occurred in US airspace between May 1961 and the end of 1972. Three days after the unsolved Cooper hijacking, a trio of wanted men hijacked a TWA flight from Phoenix, and after it refueled in Florida, successfully piloted it to Cuba, where the men were granted asylum by Fidel Castro.

Here are numerous stories from the Deseret News archives about Cooper, his legend and other stories surrounding the case:

“After 25 years, the legend of DB Cooper lives on”

“Cold DB Cooper case is revived”

“Was the ’72 Provo privateer the 1971 DB Cooper? Utahn’s book says yes”

“FBI: ‘Credible leadership’ emerges in DB Cooper case”

“DB Cooper’s escapade is just an unsolved American hijacking”

“Was DB Cooper a resident of Ogden?”

“Teacher named Cooper picked the wrong day to take the plane”

“Auction is planned for money from DB Cooper”

“DB Cooper’s parachute may have been found”

“Stories about DB Cooper still arouse interest”

“DB Cooper cash is sold for 120 times face value”

‘Are Provoan and DB Cooper connected?’