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Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305 hijacking

COLD1970sPacific Northwest, United States (multiple related incidents across the U.S. and abroad)3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026

Documents violence · ongoing investigation — written to inform, not to shock.

Illustrative

In November 1971, an unidentified man known as D. B. Cooper hijacked a Northwest Orient Airlines flight, extorted ransom money, and parachuted from the aircraft, evading capture. The case became widely publicized, and within the following year more than a dozen copycat hijackers in the United States attempted similar schemes: hijack a commercial aircraft, demand a cash ransom and parachutes, and bail out mid-flight to escape.

Documented copycat incidents include Everett Holt's December 1971 hijacking of a Northwest Orient flight; Billy Hurst's January 1972 hijacking of Braniff Flight 38; Richard Charles LaPoint's hijacking of Hughes Airwest Flight 800, after which he was captured following his parachute jump over Colorado; Merlyn St. George's attempted hijacking of a Mohawk Airlines flight, which ended when he was shot and killed by an FBI agent; Richard McCoy Jr.'s hijacking of United Airlines Flight 855, considered the most notable of the copycat cases, for which he was convicted and sentenced to 45 years, later escaping prison and being killed in a subsequent shootout with FBI agents; Stanley Speck's hijacking of a Pacific Southwest Airlines flight, ending in his arrest via a ruse by the pilot and FBI agents; Frederick Hahneman's hijacking of Eastern Air Lines Flight 175, followed by a 28-day manhunt in Honduras before his surrender; Robb Heady's hijacking of United Airlines Flight 239; Martin McNally's hijacking of an American Airlines 727, during which a bystander rammed the aircraft with a car; Daniel Carre's attempted hijacking of a Hughes Air West flight; Francis Goodell's hijacking of a Pacific Southwest Airlines flight; the joint hijacking of a National Airlines flight by Michael Green and Lulseged Tesfa; and Melvin Fisher's hijacking of an American Airlines flight, in which he ultimately surrendered rather than jump.

Each case resulted in arrest, conviction, or, in one instance, the hijacker's death during apprehension. Sentences ranged from psychiatric commitment to life imprisonment. In response to this wave of extortion hijackings, the aviation industry and federal regulators introduced countermeasures, including the "Cooper vane," a device fitted to aircraft to prevent the rear airstairs from being lowered during flight, and the broader rollout of metal detectors at American airports. These measures are credited with ending the wave of copycat hijackings.

The Wikipedia article also documents hijackings outside the United States believed to involve similar jump-and-escape methods but not necessarily inspired by the original Cooper case, including a November 1972 hijacking of a Japan Airlines flight in Tokyo by a man demanding $2 million and a flight to Cuba, who was overpowered by police; a 1992 hijacking of Vietnam Airlines Flight 850 by a former South Vietnamese air force pilot who parachuted out after dropping political leaflets and was later arrested on the ground; and a 2000 hijacking of Philippine Airlines Flight 812 in which the hijacker died after his parachute failed to deploy.

Key facts

Victims
On file
Date
1970s
Location
Pacific Northwest, United States (multiple related incidents across the U.S. and abroad)
Case status
cold

Case timeline

  1. 1971-11

    D. B. Cooper hijacks Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305, extorts ransom, and parachutes from the aircraft, remaining unidentified.

  2. 1971-12-24

    Everett Holt hijacks Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 734; surrenders after flight crew escapes the cockpit.

  3. 1972-01-12

    Billy Eugene Hurst hijacks Braniff Flight 38; later surrenders and is convicted of aircraft piracy.

  4. 1972-01-20

    Richard Charles LaPoint hijacks Hughes Airwest Flight 800 and parachutes over Colorado; apprehended hours later.

  5. 1972-01-26

    Merlyn St. George hijacks a Mohawk Airlines flight; shot and killed by an FBI agent while fleeing.

  6. 1972-04-07

    Richard McCoy Jr. hijacks United Airlines Flight 855 and parachutes near Provo, Utah.

  7. 1972-04-09

    Richard McCoy Jr. is arrested with ransom cash in his possession.

  8. 1972-04-10

    Stanley Speck hijacks a Pacific Southwest Airlines flight from Oakland to San Diego; arrested on the ground.

  9. 1972-05-05

    Frederick Hahneman hijacks Eastern Air Lines Flight 175 and parachutes over Honduras.

  10. 1972-06-02

    Robb Heady hijacks United Airlines Flight 239 from Reno; captured the next morning.

  11. 1972-06-23

    Martin McNally hijacks an American Airlines 727; a bystander rams the aircraft with a car during the incident.

  12. 1972-06-30

    Daniel Bernard Carre attempts to hijack a Hughes Air West flight; apprehended upon landing in Portland.

  13. 1972-07-06

    Francis Goodell hijacks a Pacific Southwest Airlines flight from Oakland to Sacramento.

  14. 1972-07-13

    Michael Green and Lulseged Tesfa hijack a National Airlines flight; both surrender to FBI agents.

  15. 1972-07-13

    Melvin Fisher hijacks an American Airlines 727 flight; surrenders after losing his nerve to jump.

  16. 1972-09

    Robb Heady pleads guilty to aircraft piracy and is sentenced to 30 years.

  17. 1972-09

    Melvin Fisher is sentenced to life imprisonment following trial.

  18. 1972-11-06

    Tatsuji Nakaoka hijacks a Japan Airlines 727 in Tokyo; overpowered by police.

  19. 1974

    Richard McCoy Jr. escapes Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary and is later killed in a shootout with FBI agents.

  20. 1975-05

    Charges against Everett Holt are dismissed after his commitment to a mental hospital.

  21. 1992-09-04

    Ly Tong hijacks Vietnam Airlines Flight 850 and parachutes over Ho Chi Minh City after dropping leaflets; arrested on the ground.

  22. 2000-05-25

    An unnamed hijacker on Philippine Airlines Flight 812 dies after his parachute fails to deploy during his jump.

Best coverage

No approved coverage links are attached yet.

People

  • Merlyn St. George

    CHARGED

    Hijacked a Mohawk Airlines flight in January 1972; shot and killed by an FBI agent while fleeing with a hostage.

    citation on file

  • Melvin M. Fisher

    CONVICTED

    Sentenced to life imprisonment following a September 1972 trial for hijacking an American Airlines flight.

    citation on file

  • Everett Holt

    CHARGED

    Hijacked Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 734 in December 1971; committed to a mental hospital, charges later dismissed in 1975.

    citation on file

  • Ly Tong

    CHARGED

    Hijacked Vietnam Airlines Flight 850 in September 1992 and parachuted out; arrested and later released from a Hanoi prison in 1998.

    citation on file

  • Francis Goodell

    CONVICTED

    Sentenced to 30 years for air piracy after hijacking a Pacific Southwest Airlines flight in July 1972.

    citation on file

  • Lulseged Tesfa

    CONVICTED

    Sentenced to a 60-year prison term for hijacking a National Airlines flight in July 1972 with Michael Green; released in 1982.

    citation on file

  • Michael Stanley Green

    CONVICTED

    Sentenced to a 50-year prison term for hijacking a National Airlines flight in July 1972 with Lulseged Tesfa; released in 1984.

    citation on file

  • Richard Charles LaPoint

    CONVICTED

    Pleaded guilty to aircraft piracy for hijacking Hughes Airwest Flight 800; sentenced to 40 years.

    citation on file

  • Richard McCoy Jr.

    CONVICTED

    Convicted for hijacking United Airlines Flight 855 in April 1972; sentenced to 45 years, later escaped prison and was killed in a shootout with FBI agents.

    citation on file

  • Tatsuji Nakaoka

    CHARGED

    Hijacked a Japan Airlines 727 in Tokyo in November 1972; overpowered by police.

    citation on file

  • Frederick William Hahneman

    CONVICTED

    Sentenced to life imprisonment for hijacking, kidnapping, and extortion after hijacking Eastern Air Lines Flight 175 in May 1972; served 12 years.

    citation on file

  • Robb Heady

    CONVICTED

    Pleaded guilty to aircraft piracy in September 1972 for hijacking United Airlines Flight 239; sentenced to 30 years.

    citation on file

  • Daniel Bernard Carre

    CHARGED

    Attempted to hijack a Hughes Air West flight in June 1972; apprehended upon landing and sent to a psychiatric hospital.

    citation on file

  • Martin McNally

    CHARGED

    Hijacked an American Airlines 727 in June 1972 and bailed out with ransom money; apprehended days later in Detroit.

    citation on file

  • Stanley Speck

    CHARGED

    Hijacked a Pacific Southwest Airlines flight in April 1972; arrested on the ground in San Diego.

    citation on file

  • Billy Eugene Hurst

    CONVICTED

    Convicted of aircraft piracy in 1973 for hijacking Braniff Flight 38; sentenced to 20 years.

    citation on file

Places

Pacific Northwest, United States (multiple related incidents across the U.S. and abroad)

45.5152, -122.6784

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
Following the unsolved November 1971 D. B. Cooper hijacking, more than a dozen copycat hijackers across the United States (and several abroad) attempted similar extortion-and-parachute schemes through 1972, prompting aviation security reforms including the "Cooper vane" and widespread metal detectors.
Where did the crime happen?
Pacific Northwest, United States (multiple related incidents across the U.S. and abroad).
Who was convicted?
Melvin M. Fisher (Sentenced to life imprisonment following a September 1972 trial for hijacking an American Airlines flight.), Francis Goodell (Sentenced to 30 years for air piracy after hijacking a Pacific Southwest Airlines flight in July 1972.), Lulseged Tesfa (Sentenced to a 60-year prison term for hijacking a National Airlines flight in July 1972 with Michael Green; released in 1982.), Michael Stanley Green (Sentenced to a 50-year prison term for hijacking a National Airlines flight in July 1972 with Lulseged Tesfa; released in 1984.), Richard Charles LaPoint (Pleaded guilty to aircraft piracy for hijacking Hughes Airwest Flight 800; sentenced to 40 years.), Richard McCoy Jr. (Convicted for hijacking United Airlines Flight 855 in April 1972; sentenced to 45 years, later escaped prison and was killed in a shootout with FBI agents.), Frederick William Hahneman (Sentenced to life imprisonment for hijacking, kidnapping, and extortion after hijacking Eastern Air Lines Flight 175 in May 1972; served 12 years.), Robb Heady (Pleaded guilty to aircraft piracy in September 1972 for hijacking United Airlines Flight 239; sentenced to 30 years.), and Billy Eugene Hurst (Convicted of aircraft piracy in 1973 for hijacking Braniff Flight 38; sentenced to 20 years.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: cold. Last verified July 2026.

Sources

  1. D. B. Cooper copycat hijackingswikipedia · Wikipedia · 2026-07-05
  2. Contemporaneous coverage — The New York Timesnews · The New York Times · 2026-07-05
  3. Contemporaneous coverage — FBInews · FBI · 2026-07-05

Last verified JUL 2026

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