D.B. Cooper and Flight 305: Reexamining the Hijacking and Disappearance

by Robert H. Edwards

The D. B. Cooper case is the only unsolved act of air piracy in US history. On November 24, 1971, a polite, nondescript, middle-aged man calling himself Dan Cooper hijacked Northwest Airlines Flight 305, Boeing 727, between Portland, Oregon, and Seattle, Washington. At Seattle International Airport, he demanded and received $200,000 and four parachutes, released the passengers, and ordered the crew to take him to Mexico. Somewhere along the way, he jumped. He was never found or identified. Forty-five years later, the FBI gave up the hunt. This book looks at the case from the perspective of a mathematician and pilot. It uses previously unexamined data and original-source documents, combined with the tools of statistics, aeronautics, and meteorology, to show where and how the FBI could resume the search and possibly find out at last who D. B. Cooper really was.

Genres: Crime, True Crime, Nonfiction

264 pages, Hardcover

Published November 24, 2021

About the author

Bob Edwards studied mathematics at Cambridge University, and earned his MSc and PhD from the London School of Economics. Since 1990 he has owned and managed his own economic research consultancy. He has lived in Canada, Dubai, England, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Taiwan and Transylvania. He holds a private pilot’s license and has experience in fixed-wing, hang-gliding, microlights and parachuting. He survived spin training, engine failure, forced landing, a hang-glider crash, and a tangle with the shroud lines. Now that he is older but not wiser, he does more dangerous things, such as writing books on great modern mysteries, and acting for film and television under the screen name Robert Isaac Harker.

Reviews

[Nadia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Robert H. Edwards' D.B.Cooper and Flight 305 is an extraordinarily well researched book that starts with examining the witnesses, then, based on movements of the 727 during the flight and on ground control reports about its flight path (within airway Victor 23), examines the moment and place of escape, so that he concludes that the exit point cannot be Highland,WA, as had often been assumed, but must be further south. The author even included examinations about the diatoms that had been found on the ransom money discovered at Tena Bar in 1980, in order to understand how that money may have got there. It is really a fascinating reading.

[Charger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be required reading for any Cooper enthusiast. It is a thoroughly researched, fact-filled book on the Cooper hijacking. A true gem among the many books on DB Cooper.

Be warned: this is not an easy read. It is dense and filled with technical data, weather data, and aeronautical terminology. Also, this is not the book for anyone interested in a compendium of Cooper suspects. It avoids suspect discussion along with conspiracy theories and the such. Rather, it is a serious, mostly unbiased look at the case evidence. If you want just the facts of the case, this is your book.

It is not without its errors, and some of the conclusions the author draws are faulty, but it is still the best-researched, best-written book on the case. Period.

[Robert Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm the author so I'm not qualified to review the book. However Dan Gryder, who re-enacted the hijacker's jump, has this to say: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/robert...

[Nadia Laribi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The D. B. Cooper and Flight 305 book has been thoroughly researched, and is full of riveting stories. You do not need to be a Cooper fan or an aviation buff to enjoy reading it. It is a journey into a great unresolved mystery of the 20th century. The author has a podcast on "Vanished" where he gives some fascinating insights into his project: https://soundcloud.com/user-907868552...

[John Kirkley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robert Edwards due diligence in reexamining the hijacking of Flight 305 is intensely comprehensive. The facts revealed in D.B. Cooper and Flight 305 are so compelling it's hard to stop reading this first class publication.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book.The author did a great job explaining things. I was a little confused at times, and other times I didn't understand why we were talking about something; but it made sense in the end. I am fascinated with the DB Cooper case, so this was a really fun book to read.

[Kermit · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an awesome book on D B Cooper ! I have now read 7 D B Cooper books and this is my favorite.
Mr. Edwards has written and very articulate book detailing the Unsolved Mystery many puzzling details. He uses his Mathematical background to project probability of what is the most likely scenario and not biased opinions. I loved the book !

[Brian Kupfer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Adds nothing new to the DB Cooper lore. Author is far too interested in showing his own feelings of superiority and love of math and graphs. A basically pointless book for those interested in learning about Cooper.

[Bruce Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

D.B. Cooper and Flight 305 is an uneven book. On one hand it is a masterpiece of untangling FBI documentation and giving it some coherence and organization. That alone is worth the price of the book, especially for serious DB Cooper researchers.

However, it is a tough read. Not only did my eyeballs throb while reading, I got a near-migraine trying to negotiate my way through the mountains of minutiae.

Most troubling is Dr. Edwards conclusion. Specifically, he puts Cooper landing in the Columbia River - at least he gives him a 68.7% chance of doing so. Yet, this is based on one FAA official's timing of the getaway flight southward from Seattle, and Edwards discounts the other five timelines. Yes, he makes his reasoning clear, but it seems incredibly lame. Particularly after such a momentous build-up of analysis and data.

[Erick Mertz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is only OK.

I've had a lifelong interest in DB Cooper. As a native of the PNW, who has always lived within 100 miles of the scene of the fabled highjacker's drop, it's a part of my folklore. I'm intrigued by the details, the minute to minute, which end up coming to life here pretty well, but as the book drags on, it deals in too much science, specifically around the wind and the sled test. I think the author does a good job of bringing his areas of concern to life, but to say those are my common areas of concern would be an exaggeration.

Only dig into this one if you're a real Cooper person.

[Mary Johns · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully produced quality in-depth work, an essential reference book for studying & researching the D.B. Cooper case. This book was in parts a challenging read when I was new to the mystery of Flight 305, due to it covering a lot of technical aspects & calculations. Now that I've learnt more about the basic history of the hijacking & its investigation, & am desiring greater detail, I return to Dr Edwards' volume repeatedly, & get more from it on every read.

[Keri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Significantly more technical than I anticipated when I picked this up. Excellently researched and exhaustive in detail.
Not a “light” read but perfect for someone who wants to really dig in to charts and testimony.

[George Hall · Rating 2 out of 5]

Absolutely brutal to get through past the first couple of chapters. Dr Edwards is incredibly knowedgable, but it bogs the book down. There’s chapters on algae, a tie and the wind. It’s a difficult read, but you’ll be an expert on the subject if you retain all of the knowledge.

[Electric · Rating 3 out of 5]

A thorough analysis of what happened, takes into account *everything in detail* (More details than anticipated.) A very good book for a lot of details! I'm not sure it was worth it for only $2m in 2025 money.