Synopsis
NORJAK: The Investigation of D.B. Cooper, written by retired FBI Special Agent Ralph P. Himmelsbach and published in 1986, presents an insider's account of the famous 1971 skyjacking from the direct perspective of the bureau's lead investigator on the case. The book details the harrowing events of Thanksgiving Eve in 1971, when a man using the alias "Dan Cooper" hijacked a Boeing 727, demanded $200,000 in ransom along with four parachutes, and ultimately vanished after leaping out of the aircraft's rear stairs into a dark, stormy night over the Pacific Northwest.
Beyond recounting the sequence of the hijacking, Himmelsbach delves into the technical and operational complexities of the investigation—code-named "NORJAK" for Northwest Random Hijacking. He outlines the painstaking ground and air searches, the forensic analysis of serial numbers on the ransom money, and the thousands of leads pursued by law enforcement. Drawing on his professional experience as an investigator and pilot, Himmelsbach counters popular pop-culture myths that framed Cooper as a folk hero or master criminal, instead profiling him as an reckless amateur whose survival was highly improbable. He argues that harsh weather, dense terrain, and inadequate equipment point to Cooper perishing in the drop.