ST. LOUIS – On November 24, 1971, a mysterious person named D.B. Cooper took over Northwest Orient Airlines flight 305, a Boeing 727. He then disappeared after jumping from the plane, leaving everyone wondering who he was and what happened to the money he stole.

How has Cooper’s infamous hijacking influenced airplane hijackings in the St. Louis area? John Wigger, a history professor at the University of Missouri, shares his insights. Wigger’s interest in flight, inspired by childhood experiences flying with his pilot father, led him to teach a history of flight course at the University of Missouri.

During the pandemic, he saw that students were more interested in the DB Cooper hijacking than in famous events like the disappearance of Amelia Earhart or the successes of the Wright brothers. This lead Wigger to write a book on the hijacking of American Flight 119 in St. Louis and how D.B. Cooper inspired many to attempt to copycat what he got away with.

A mother’s fight for justice: ‘He still has to face me’

In his research for the book, Wigger connected with FBI agents, pilots, and flight attendants involved in hijackings between 1968 and 1972.

“There were five who followed (Cooper), and the last of that group was Martin McNally on American 119, a flight that he boarded in St. Louis. In many ways, McNally’s hijacking was the most daring,” said Wigger.

McNally, the last in a series of hijackers following Cooper, boarded American 119 in St. Louis. In many ways, his theft was one of the bravest. After using Zoom to visit Wigger’s class, McNally talked to the students and told them not to make the same decisions. McNally went to federal jail for 37 years and got out in 2010.

“He was great with the students. He answered their questions happily and told them that the hijacking was the stupidest thing he had ever done, advising them to stay in school and make something of themselves,” said Wigger.

Temps take a dive: How cold will it get this weekend and beyond?

Wigger talked about Robb Dolin Heady, another parachute hijacker who took over a flight in Reno, Nevada, which is known as “hijacker heaven” because of how lax the security was there. He jumped over a three-foot-high fence without a ticket. He wore a pillowcase over his head with eye holes cut out of it and carried a handgun and a parachute in hand and he was able to take over the plane.

“Well, I just had one more thing that people often ask, which is, What does this say about the DB Cooper hijacking? And I think one of the interesting things about looking at the other parachute hijackers is that the other five survived except for very minor injuries. And so I think it probably indicates that, in all likelihood, DB Cooper survived his jump as well in many ways,” said Wigger.

Close

Thanks for signing up!

Watch for us in your inbox.

Subscribe Now

Daily News

He says that Martin McNally’s jump was a lot more dangerous, for example. Cooper jumped at 200 miles per hour at about 10,000 feet, but McNally jumped at 320 miles per hour even though he had never been parachuting before. He didn’t know it, but McNally had only been given the small front backup chute and not the main backpack shoot. He landed safely.

“So if Martin McNally could survive his job, then, in all likelihood, DB Cooper did as well,” he said.

Wigger’s book, titled “The Hijacking of American Flight 119: How D.B. Cooper Inspired a Skyjacking Craze and the FBI’s Battle to Stop It,” is available wherever books are sold, including an audiobook version, offering readers a comprehensive exploration of this intriguing chapter in aviation history.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2.