Author Topic: Suspects And Confessions  (Read 1293584 times)

Offline georger

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Re: Suspects And Confessions
« Reply #4050 on: December 11, 2018, 02:40:14 PM »
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Met up with an old timer from the Pacific NW last weekend at the DZ. This well-connected jumper/pilot knew Teddy Mayfield really well and said it's 100% certain he was DB Cooper. Mayfield reportedly confessed to two other people prior to his death, but never to the guy I spoke with. He said Mayfield made the call to Himmelsbach after he landed. He knew he would be a suspect and wanted to "get off the list" from the outset.

I pointed out that Mayfield wasn't a good match to witness descriptions, but he replied "imagine a skinnier Teddy back then".

No proof, just hearsay.

377


   

Sluggo_Monster

May 22, 2009, 2:36 PM
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Quote:
Try to imagine a Cooper who doesnt look anything like the drawings. It is very hard to do. They have become Cooper.
To me, it’s almost laughable. The most common comment about any of the major suspects (except Ted E. Mayfield) is: “… And he sure looks like Cooper!” As if the sketch(es) are in-fact a real person.

The FBI pursued Rackstraw and the guy who robbed the bank with a note that had “DB Cooper” written on it (I can’t recall the name, and I’m too lazy to look it up) with a vengeance. Neither one of them looked ANYTHING like the composite drawings.

Is that a testimony to the FBI’s faith in the fidelity of the drawings?

Yet, as late as June 1999, the Bureau was commissioning new sketches... Go figure?????
 

Offline 377

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Re: Suspects And Confessions
« Reply #4051 on: December 11, 2018, 04:10:35 PM »
Mayfield checks all the boxes on skills (champion skydiver, rigger, pilot), motive (needed money) and a criminal history including armed robbery.

As I recall, his phone call to Himmelsbach was after the calculated Cooper jump time, so why was it given so much weight in taking him off the suspect list?   

From Bruce's Mountain News article: "Ted Mayfield had many run-ins with law enforcement during his life, and had been arrested in 1977 for flying a stolen airplane across state lines. In addition, he was also arrested for armed robbery in his youth, a hold up that occurred in the Oregon City area.

In 1994, Mayfield was convicted and incarcerated for five months for the negligent homicide of two of his skydiving students at his Pacific Parachute Center in Sheridan. Later, Mayfield was found to have been indirectly responsible for the death of 13 other skydiving students due to faulty equipment and training.

Similarly, Mayfield had lost his pilot’s license and rigging certificates on multiple occasions for safety violations, most recently in 2010 when he flew a plane from the Eugene airport without proper credentials and blatantly failed to follow safety protocols on take-off.
"

And why was a scofflaw renegade guy like Mayfield pals with straight-laced FBI agent Himmelsbach? Seems an unlikely pair.

377
« Last Edit: December 11, 2018, 04:11:41 PM by 377 »
 

Offline georger

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Re: Suspects And Confessions
« Reply #4052 on: December 11, 2018, 04:20:39 PM »
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Mayfield checks all the boxes on skills (champion skydiver, rigger, pilot), motive (needed money) and a criminal history including armed robbery.

As I recall, his phone call to Himmelsbach was after the calculated Cooper jump time, so why was it given so much weight in taking him off the suspect list?   

From Bruce's Mountain News article: "Ted Mayfield had many run-ins with law enforcement during his life, and had been arrested in 1977 for flying a stolen airplane across state lines. In addition, he was also arrested for armed robbery in his youth, a hold up that occurred in the Oregon City area.

In 1994, Mayfield was convicted and incarcerated for five months for the negligent homicide of two of his skydiving students at his Pacific Parachute Center in Sheridan. Later, Mayfield was found to have been indirectly responsible for the death of 13 other skydiving students due to faulty equipment and training.

Similarly, Mayfield had lost his pilot’s license and rigging certificates on multiple occasions for safety violations, most recently in 2010 when he flew a plane from the Eugene airport without proper credentials and blatantly failed to follow safety protocols on take-off.
"

And why was a scofflaw renegade guy like Mayfield pals with straight-laced FBI agent Himmelsbach? Seems an unlikely pair.

377

Mayfield doesnt remotely fit the Cooper ideolect profile! For one, he is a known mental case. Find another cause célèbre.

 ;)

But, it may be past time to revisit the sketches since everyone with a suspect claims their suspect looks like Cooper!
« Last Edit: December 11, 2018, 04:25:04 PM by georger »
 

Offline 377

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Re: Suspects And Confessions
« Reply #4053 on: December 11, 2018, 04:25:00 PM »
I don't think Reca was DB Cooper but I think his proponents truly believe that he was and are operating in good faith. I just can't make Cle Elum work. It's not just a little off the generally accepted range of flight paths, it's 116 miles off. It would take a (too) big conspiracy to publish a flight path that was 116 miles off from the real one. It would take seamless and enduring cooperation between the FBI, FAA, NWA, 727 flight crew and USAF. VERY unlikely.

To their credit the Reca folks put it all out there, they don't cherry pick facts. Lots of what they publish argues against Reca including what I think are inaccurate statements by Reca about what happened inside the 727 regarding jump exit selection (side door ventral airstair door exit) and parachute unpacking (unpacking main rather than reserve).

I am glad they are putting their suspect out there as it gets more press about the Cooper story. The NORJAK story is stale and needs constant refreshing if the younger generation is to maintain any interest in the case.

Bring em on. More suspects. More publicity about one of aviation's greatest mysteries is OK by me even if I think new suspects are unlikely DBCs.

377
 

Offline 377

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Re: Suspects And Confessions
« Reply #4054 on: December 11, 2018, 04:26:13 PM »
Georger wrote: "Mayfield doesn't remotely fit the Cooper ideolect profile! For one, he is a known mental case."

Mental case? Evidence?

377
 

Offline georger

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Re: Suspects And Confessions
« Reply #4055 on: December 11, 2018, 04:26:24 PM »
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I don't think Reca was DB Cooper but I think his proponents truly believe that he was and are operating in good faith. I just can't make Cle Elum work. It's not just a little off the generally accepted range of flight paths, it's 116 miles off. It would take a (too) big conspiracy to publish a flight path that was 116 miles off from the real one. It would take seamless and enduring cooperation between the FBI, FAA, NWA, 727 flight crew and USAF. VERY unlikely.

To their credit the Reca folks put it all out there, they don't cherry pick facts. Lots of what they publish argues against Reca including what I think are inaccurate statements by Reca about what happened inside the 727 regarding jump exit selection (side door ventral airstair door exit) and parachute unpacking (unpacking main rather than reserve).

I am glad they are putting their suspect out there as it gets more press about the Cooper story. The NORJAK story is stale and needs constant refreshing if the younger generation is to maintain any interest in the case.

Bring em on. More suspects. More publicity about one of aviation's greatest mysteries is OK by me even if I think new suspects are unlikely DBCs.

377

keep the chaos coming!
 

Offline georger

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Re: Suspects And Confessions
« Reply #4056 on: December 11, 2018, 04:27:19 PM »
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Georger wrote: "Mayfield doesn't remotely fit the Cooper ideolect profile! For one, he is a known mental case."

Mental case? Evidence?

377

total waste of time. I have to comb my cat!

Here. Ponder this for a change.
« Last Edit: December 11, 2018, 04:31:38 PM by georger »
 

Offline 377

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Re: Suspects And Confessions
« Reply #4057 on: December 11, 2018, 04:37:59 PM »
Waste of time? YOU made the mental case statement not me Georger. Back it up.

377
 

Offline 377

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Re: Suspects And Confessions
« Reply #4058 on: December 11, 2018, 04:40:09 PM »
ALL those sketches look like Duane Weber Georger. Just ask Jo. ;)

Happy Holidays and 73.

377


 

Offline Shutter

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Re: Suspects And Confessions
« Reply #4059 on: December 11, 2018, 04:45:20 PM »
 
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Offline Unsurelock

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Re: Suspects And Confessions
« Reply #4060 on: December 11, 2018, 06:04:07 PM »
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Georger wrote: "Mayfield doesn't remotely fit the Cooper ideolect profile! For one, he is a known mental case."

Mental case? Evidence?

377

total waste of time. I have to comb my cat!

Here. Ponder this for a change.

I think Henry Fonda will have to convince all eleven of them not to convict.
 

Offline Bruce A. Smith

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Re: Suspects And Confessions
« Reply #4061 on: December 12, 2018, 02:15:29 AM »
For me, the most interesting tidbit about Teddy Mayfield is the acquiescence of Ralph Himmelsbach to working with the guy and bringing him into the case. In his book, RH claims Ted provided valuable assistance to the investigation, including identifying certain skydivers under suspicion. However, this was long after Himms already had a run-in with Ted's staff at the Aurora airport, so RH knew what he as dealing with - yet he persisted.

Really? Why? Mayfield was the only guy who could identify skydivers? Why not Ralph Hatley down at Eagle Creek?

Hmmm.
 

Offline Bruce A. Smith

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Re: Suspects And Confessions
« Reply #4062 on: December 12, 2018, 02:16:16 AM »
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Thanks, Shut. I love your little Christmas-y touches here.
 

Offline georger

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Re: Suspects And Confessions
« Reply #4063 on: December 12, 2018, 05:03:02 AM »
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For me, the most interesting tidbit about Teddy Mayfield is the acquiescence of Ralph Himmelsbach to working with the guy and bringing him into the case. In his book, RH claims Ted provided valuable assistance to the investigation, including identifying certain skydivers under suspicion. However, this was long after Himms already had a run-in with Ted's staff at the Aurora airport, so RH knew what he as dealing with - yet he persisted.

Really? Why? Mayfield was the only guy who could identify skydivers? Why not Ralph Hatley down at Eagle Creek?

Hmmm.

Can you produce the first sketch provided by the FBI and published by a newspaper in 71? Was it this sketch below?

Did CBS News show a sketch - which one? I forget.

Who provided the sketch - Seattle or Las Vegas - and why? Why was it Las Vegas who developed the first sketch?
« Last Edit: December 12, 2018, 05:05:20 AM by georger »
 

Offline Kermit

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Re: Suspects And Confessions
« Reply #4064 on: December 12, 2018, 11:52:04 AM »
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For me, the most interesting tidbit about Teddy Mayfield is the acquiescence of Ralph Himmelsbach to working with the guy and bringing him into the case. In his book, RH claims Ted provided valuable assistance to the investigation, including identifying certain skydivers under suspicion. However, this was long after Himms already had a run-in with Ted's staff at the Aurora airport, so RH knew what he as dealing with - yet he persisted.

Really? Why? Mayfield was the only guy who could identify skydivers? Why not Ralph Hatley down at Eagle Creek?

Hmmm.

Interesting that you would mention the Aurora airport as that’s where I was taking flying lessons back in the day when I was thinking of buying my own plane and becoming a pilot. It makes me wonder if my path crossed with some of these characters without me even knowing it. I do recall when I made a comment to my instructor about the danger should this single engine fail. He immediately shut off the engine and of course pretty much nothing happened as the plane continued to glide effortlessly. He then informed me part of achieving my pilot’s license would be learning how to land with a dead engine. That little airport was bustling with activity back then.