New clues in DB Cooper hijacking case after clip-on tie discovery
The FBI has a new lead in an infamous 1971 plane hijacking after traces of titanium were found on a clip-on tie left behind by the suspect.
The clue emerged almost 40 years to the day after the mysterious hijacker known as D B Cooper jumped out of a Boeing 727 over Washington state wearing a business suit, a parachute and a pack with $200,000 in ransom money.
It remains one of America’s most notorious unsolved crimes but a group of scientists, working at the invitation of the FBI, recently uncovered the titanium after putting Cooper’s tie under an electron microscope.
They said the metal was rare in 1971 and believe its presence, in a pure form, points to the hijacker having worked in a titanium production facility or a chemical plant. The fact he wore a tie may point to him having been a manager, they said. Shortly before the hijacking Boeing had cancelled a project which involved production of titanium in Washington state.