FBI Proof of D.B. Cooper’s Really Bizarre Connection to Missouri

Without a doubt, the most famous plane hijacker in history is D.B. Cooper. He's never been officially identified, but there is FBI proof that that infamous figure does have a really bizarre connection to Missouri.

This D.B. Cooper/Missouri rabbit trail began when I saw a thumbnail on Netflix for D.B. Cooper: Where Are You? It had a man's mugshot with "MO Department of Corrections" underneath. Wait. What?!

Let's start at the beginning - Who was D.B. Cooper?

A man identified as Dan (D.B.) Cooper bought a plane ticket on Flight #305 headed for Seattle, Washington on November 24, 1971. In the middle of the flight, he got the attention of a stewardess who he informed that he had a briefcase full of explosives and demanded 4 parachutes and $200,000 in $20 dollar bills. In the middle of the flight, he jumped from the plane and was never located by investigators.

What about D.B. Cooper's connection to Missouri?

As the FBI can confirm, Martin McNally in June of 1972 hijacked an American Airlines flight #119 that was leaving St. Louis, Missouri when he demanded half a million dollars. John Wigger has a book about the event called The Hijacking of Flight 119 which tells the story of how McNally told the FBI that D.B. Cooper was his inspiration.

Martin McNally served his time in prison and was released in 2010, but his hijacking of that American Airlines flight has forever connected D.B. Cooper to Missouri and St. Louis specifically. You'll even find the Missouri connection on the D.B. Cooper Wikipedia page.