Author Topic: General Questions About The Case  (Read 619983 times)

Offline Shutter

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Re: General Questions About The Case
« Reply #2850 on: January 09, 2021, 06:31:03 PM »
From the original statements of the stews..When you read these 302's you will notice things are not in order..

Florence states the plane landed and Tina went out and got the money. she returned and gave Cooper the money and then the passengers s tarted to deplane.

She doesn't mention the chutes coming onto the plane. she asked Cooper if they could leave. he said "sure, go ahead". Cooper was putting the back chute on during that conversation.

Florence states that when she went to the cockpit with the notes(2) and sat down taking notes for a few minutes. Tina called from the phone saying the hijacker wanted the note he had written and the note Flo had written back to him.

Tina, states Cooper wanted the stairs to the exit available immediately so Tina could obtain the items requested.he was very insistent that every condition be met. as soon as the stairs were attached she exited the plane and retrieved a bag from an unknown man who got out of a car. she gave Cooper the money and he allowed the passengers to deplane.

Tina, states after the passengers were gone she went back out and picked up one back chute, stating she could only take one. Cooper then told her to lower the shades. nothing about the second back chute. she then goes back out and gets both front chutes. she then states all the hostesses and male members were still on the plane. she then asks him where they are going. she used a pay sheet and wrote in pencil "going to Mexico City----or any place in Mexico---nonstop---gear down---flaps down--don't go over 10,000 feet altitude---all cabin lights out---do not again land in the states for fuel or any other reason---no one behind the first class section"

Tina then states after arguing about the stairs up or down, and the fuel taking too long and no knapsack did he request all the notes, including the one's Flo wrote and Tina be returned.

Tina, states after taking off she noticed him being occupied with the open chute and cutting cord from the chute.

Alice, states the hijacker wanted Tina to go out and get the items requested when they land in Seattle. she states that the hijacker told Tina the stewardesses are to remain on board. she noticed an unpacked parachute and asked Cooper if he opened it, he replied "yes" Alice asked Cooper if they could leave and he replied "whatever you girls would like" so, Alice and Flo left the plane.
« Last Edit: January 09, 2021, 06:40:36 PM by Shutter »
 

Offline Bruce A. Smith

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Re: General Questions About The Case
« Reply #2851 on: January 10, 2021, 04:43:39 AM »
Yup, lots of variations.
 

Offline foxmanb

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Re: General Questions About The Case
« Reply #2852 on: January 13, 2021, 10:09:25 PM »
Does anyone know what ever became of the envelopes containing the letters which were sent after the hijacking? You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login

I've been doing some reading on DNA extraction techniques, if the original envelopes still exist, it shouldn't be difficult to pull DNA from the envelope flap and stamp. It's not overly expensive, and it's not even a drop in the bucket given what's already been spent on the case.

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While the FBI didn't take all of these letters seriously, there were at least a couple that they kept close to the vest, implying that they did take those seriously.

Why not try to pull DNA from all of the stamps/envelopes and start comparing them to each other?
 Do any match? Are they all sent by the same person? Start building a family tree and figure out who sent them. Given the techniques available, this is doable, today. The clock is ticking on this case, Tina is still alive and could potentially ID Cooper based on who sent those letters, but if they don't take action on this in the next few years, we may never know.

It's frustrating that they potentially have the evidence necessary to identify Cooper, but refuse to do so.
 

Offline Bruce A. Smith

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Re: General Questions About The Case
« Reply #2853 on: January 14, 2021, 03:55:38 AM »
Looks like one more dropped pass in the end zone for the FBI. Good thinking, Fox.

Sigh.

I do know that Curtis Eng kept "Letter #3" at his desk, according to reports from Galen.
« Last Edit: January 14, 2021, 03:56:55 AM by Bruce A. Smith »
 

Offline paulami

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Re: General Questions About The Case
« Reply #2854 on: January 16, 2021, 07:22:25 AM »
Oct 31, 1970 - The Virginian 'Gun Quest' - Daniel 'Boss' Cooper.
 

Offline Dfs346

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Re: General Questions About The Case
« Reply #2855 on: January 19, 2021, 12:35:21 PM »
May I ask whether anyone on this forum has spoken to passenger Jack V Almstad? He is apparently alive, aged about 87 and living in Parker, Colorado. He had a brief interaction with the hijacker. Does anyone know if he gave a physical description of the hijacker?
 

Offline Shutter

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Re: General Questions About The Case
« Reply #2856 on: January 19, 2021, 05:01:28 PM »
Flyjack posted two links. here is the contents of one of them...just got home and not settled in yet..the only person I can think of is Bruce Smith on interviews. I don't recall if he has though..

A Bay Area man also has a connection to the case. Jack Almstad of Livermore was on that November 24, 1971 flight. He found himself alone with Cooper in the back of the plane while they circled Seattle.

“I said, ‘Gee, we were up here so long, if we wait any longer we could have Thanksgiving up here, because it was the day before Thanksgiving.’ Well, this gentleman, he was on the right hand side of the plane, he turned around and looked at me and smiled. I was one row behind him,” Almstad said.

The plane then landed and taxied to a remote part of the airport. According to Almstad, a refueling truck pulled up, along with a bus, and people came on board.

“Then a guy, I it was a man, came walking down the aisle with a white sack. To me, it looked like a pillow slip, and it had all these jagged points in it. And I remember the thought I had, that looks like bricks in it, or a bag of money, I thought,” Almstad said.

Almstad believes he may have seen the $200,000 ransom that Cooper had demanded, along with a parachute.

Once the passengers were pulled off the plane, Almstad recalled, “…They took us into the terminal, and they took us upstairs, or somewhere. And there were FBI agents there, and they wanted to interview everybody.”

He didn’t have much to tell the FBI and didn’t even know it was a hijacking until he got off the plane.

Almstad said, “That was all there was to it. There was no conversation with him; he didn’t say anything to me. I went back to my seat, they let everyone off, and he jumped out, eventually.”

Jack Almstad might have had a better story to tell, if he weren’t such an avid reader, according to his wife Joyce. She said he practically read a book through much of the flight.

“It was probably a spy novel,” Joyce Almstad said.
« Last Edit: January 19, 2021, 06:16:23 PM by Shutter »
 

Offline Bruce A. Smith

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Re: General Questions About The Case
« Reply #2857 on: January 20, 2021, 02:00:07 AM »
Yes, I interviewed Jack several years ago when he was living in Livermore, California. His statements are peppered throughout my book and elsewhere, including here at the Forum.

The above quote comes from a TV-news interview from the Bay Area.

He and his wife Joyce have not responded to my phone calls or emails for several years. I've thought Jack has passed away.

As for what Jack remembers about DBC's physical appearance, when I asked him he said that Cooper "pretty much looked like the sketch in the newspapers."
« Last Edit: January 20, 2021, 02:01:43 AM by Bruce A. Smith »
 

Offline georger

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Re: General Questions About The Case
« Reply #2858 on: January 20, 2021, 03:16:03 PM »
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Flyjack posted two links. here is the contents of one of them...just got home and not settled in yet..the only person I can think of is Bruce Smith on interviews. I don't recall if he has though..

A Bay Area man also has a connection to the case. Jack Almstad of Livermore was on that November 24, 1971 flight. He found himself alone with Cooper in the back of the plane while they circled Seattle.

“I said, ‘Gee, we were up here so long, if we wait any longer we could have Thanksgiving up here, because it was the day before Thanksgiving.’ Well, this gentleman, he was on the right hand side of the plane, he turned around and looked at me and smiled. I was one row behind him,” Almstad said.

The plane then landed and taxied to a remote part of the airport. According to Almstad, a refueling truck pulled up, along with a bus, and people came on board.

“Then a guy, I it was a man, came walking down the aisle with a white sack. To me, it looked like a pillow slip, and it had all these jagged points in it. And I remember the thought I had, that looks like bricks in it, or a bag of money, I thought,” Almstad said.

Almstad believes he may have seen the $200,000 ransom that Cooper had demanded, along with a parachute.

Once the passengers were pulled off the plane, Almstad recalled, “…They took us into the terminal, and they took us upstairs, or somewhere. And there were FBI agents there, and they wanted to interview everybody.”

He didn’t have much to tell the FBI and didn’t even know it was a hijacking until he got off the plane.

Almstad said, “That was all there was to it. There was no conversation with him; he didn’t say anything to me. I went back to my seat, they let everyone off, and he jumped out, eventually.”

Jack Almstad might have had a better story to tell, if he weren’t such an avid reader, according to his wife Joyce. She said he practically read a book through much of the flight.

“It was probably a spy novel,” Joyce Almstad said.

Banks don't deliver large sums of cash in pillow cases! "and it had all these jagged points in it."   :rofl:  It's homespun folklore or there is s direct conflict between official accounts and personal accounts by some guy on the plane.   You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login

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« Last Edit: January 20, 2021, 03:31:12 PM by georger »
 

Offline DBfan57

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Re: General Questions About The Case
« Reply #2859 on: January 21, 2021, 10:57:24 AM »
Question to all.  OK. The REAL DB Cooper comes out alive and says "Hi all you fools, its me!"     Of course nobody will believe him after all of these clowns have confessed over the years.  How could he prove its him beyond any doubt? 

Also, does anyone have a link to a good map of the flight path and the relation between Tena Bar and the Dam?  I guess the Merwin dam?  I just wanted to look at this Rollins theory?  You know, the boat and trailer theory?
 

Offline Shutter

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Re: General Questions About The Case
« Reply #2860 on: January 21, 2021, 11:01:28 AM »
You might want to look at Skyvector for that area. I don't have a good quality map at the moment. I remember Bill and his theory. I don't see that amount of steps for a get away..

are you trying to pinpoint distance? if so Skyvector might help.
 

Offline Shutter

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Re: General Questions About The Case
« Reply #2861 on: January 21, 2021, 11:03:29 AM »
You can find the sectional map for that period on Ebay sometimes. I bought the area you speak about a couple years ago for I think around $10..sectional maps change every 6 months I believe?. aviation changes as well as ground changes occur that have to be updated..
« Last Edit: January 21, 2021, 11:05:34 AM by Shutter »
 

Offline Dfs346

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Re: General Questions About The Case
« Reply #2862 on: January 21, 2021, 11:18:42 AM »
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a link to a good map of the flight path and the relation between Tena Bar and the Dam? 

Free download of current FAA sectional chart at You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login
or You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login

(big files). Victor 23 centerline is shown. Airway width is 8 nautical miles horizontally (4nm from centerline).
« Last Edit: January 21, 2021, 11:31:08 AM by Dfs346 »
 

Offline Shutter

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Re: General Questions About The Case
« Reply #2863 on: January 21, 2021, 12:15:38 PM »
I'm on a laptop and both links fail to load for some reason..I still find it easier using Skyvector that has all the tools required. then if you want to be precise you need the sectional map from that circa.
 

Offline Shutter

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Re: General Questions About The Case
« Reply #2864 on: January 21, 2021, 12:43:35 PM »
I took a quick picture of my sectional map..it's too large to post here. if I down size it the photo will distort when you enlarge..

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