The decades-old mystery of D. B. Cooper, one of the most infamous unsolved crimes in U.S. history, may finally have a breakthrough.

YouTuber Dan Gryder, known for his channel “Probable Cause,” claims to have uncovered critical evidence. He found the parachute rig he believes was used in the daring 1971 plane hijacking.

Gryder, who has investigated the case “off and on” for nearly 20 years, believes his find could close the book on this elusive cold case.

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The Infamous Hijacking

D. B. Cooper is the pseudonym used by the unidentified man who hijacked Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305 on November 24, 1971.

After handing a flight attendant a note claiming he had a bomb, Cooper demanded $200,000 in ransom and four parachutes. Once the plane landed in Seattle, the ransom was delivered, and Cooper released the passengers.

Shortly after the plane took off again, bound for Mexico, Cooper opened the rear door and parachuted into the darkness over southwestern Washington. Despite an extensive FBI investigation, neither Cooper’s identity nor his whereabouts were ever confirmed.

YouTuber Finds Evidence

Dan Gryder’s investigation into the D.B. Cooper case took a dramatic turn when he discovered a modified parachute rig on a property in North Carolina.

Gryder claims this rig matches the type of parachute rig that Cooper used during the hijacking and has handed it over to the FBI.

Describing the parachute as “literally one in a billion,” Gryder confidently stated in his video, “This is the rig he used... we just solved it.”

Who is D. B. Cooper?

The property where the rig was found belongs to the family of the late Richard McCoy Jr., one of the FBI's prime suspects in the case. McCoy himself staged a nearly identical hijacking in April 1972, demanding $500,000 in ransom and parachuting to escape.

McCoy was killed in a shootout with FBI agents in 1974 after escaping from federal prison.

 Investigators have long noted the striking resemblance between McCoy’s photo and a composite sketch of D.B. Cooper. Gryder’s discovery has again reignited speculation that McCoy may, in fact, be Cooper.

FBI Response 

Although Gryder has turned the evidence over to the FBI, the agency has not updated the case on its website. Its last statement on the matter, issued in 2016, declared the case “inactive" but left the door open for reopening it if significant physical evidence surfaced.

McCoy’s children, Chante and Richard III agree with Gryder’s findings. They have long suspected their father was the enigmatic hijacker.

Gryder also revealed that the FBI may consider exhuming McCoy’s body to conduct DNA testing against the evidence he provided.

To date, the D.B. Cooper case remains the only unsolved commercial airline hijacking in U.S. history. Gryder’s discovery could finally unravel the mystery that has captivated the public for over 50 years.