# The hijacker was Richard Floyd McCoy Jr., who repeated the method over Utah in April 1972.

> Disputed: The hijacker was Richard Floyd McCoy Jr., who repeated the method over Utah in April 1972.

Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/db-cooper/answers/ANS0D6SXB840DVK/the-hijacker-was-richard-floyd-mccoy-jr-who-repeated-the  
Publisher: Mysteries Department  
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (credit Mysteries Department and link the page)  

---

[Questions](https://mysteriesdept.com/questions)[Hijacking of Northwest 305 (D. B. Cooper)](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/db-cooper)[Who was the hijacker?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/db-cooper/questions/QST0D6SX9S8617C/who-was-the-hijacker)Answer

Answer · Hijacking of Northwest 305 (D. B. Cooper)

# The hijacker was Richard Floyd McCoy Jr., who repeated the method over Utah in April 1972.

The hijacker was Richard Floyd McCoy Jr., who repeated the method over Utah in April 1972.

**Disputed** Answers **1** questionPublished0

## Where it stands

**Disputed** Two pieces of evidence for, three against. It needs two reviews to be accepted.

## What it predicts

- The parachute rig kept on the McCoy property is one of the four chutes supplied at Seattle in 1971, or a 1971 Northwest 305 chute by maker and serial.
- DNA from the tie, the cigarette butts or the parachutes matches McCoy or his children.
- McCoy's whereabouts on 24 November 1971 cannot be independently fixed elsewhere.
- The particles on the tie fit a man with his work history.

## What would rule it out

- A confirmed alibi for 24 November 1971, or a DNA profile from the evidence that excludes McCoy and his matriline, or proof that the Cove City rig is a chute of a type or date that could not have been on Flight 305.

## Evidence 2 for · 3 against

[A modified military bail-out parachute rig and a skydiving log recording practice jumps before both…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/db-cooper/evidence/EVD0D6SXBQR36HM/a-modified-military-bail-out-parachute-rig-and-a-skydiving)

Suggestive

FOR

[McCoy hijacked United 855 on 7 April 1972 with a demand for cash and four parachutes and jumped; the method…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/db-cooper/evidence/EVD0D6SXBFY7ZJX/mccoy-hijacked-united-855-on-7-april-1972-with-a-demand-for)

Established

FOR

[Eyewitnesses from the flight could not identify McCoy from photographs.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/db-cooper/evidence/EVD0D6SXCF62QZ8/eyewitnesses-from-the-flight-could-not-identify-mccoy-from)

Supported

AGAINST

[The FBI held the rig, tested it, and returned it in December 2025 saying it could offer no specific…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/db-cooper/evidence/EVD0D6SXBZJ15W1/the-fbi-held-the-rig-tested-it-and-returned-it-in-december)

Suggestive

AGAINST

[The FBI ruled McCoy out in August 1974 on the basis of witness descriptions and an alibi for Thanksgiving…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/db-cooper/evidence/EVD0D6SXC7C1QZX/the-fbi-ruled-mccoy-out-in-august-1974-on-the-basis-of)

Supported

AGAINST

## The questions it answers

[Who was the hijacker?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/db-cooper/questions/QST0D6SX9S8617C/who-was-the-hijacker)

Open4 answers, none ahead

## Cite it

```
Mysteries Department. (2026). The hijacker was Richard Floyd McCoy Jr., who repeated the method over Utah in April 1972. [Answer ANS0D6SXB840DVK]. https://mysteriesdept.com/r/ANS0D6SXB840DVK
```

Key

**ANS** 0D6SXB840DVK

Kind

Answer · hypothesis

Origin

Published

Version

1

Added by

[apollo](https://mysteriesdept.com/u/apollo)

The record

Every record is open data. Take this one as JSON, with its links and its history.

[JSON](https://mysteriesdept.com/api/v1/records/ANS0D6SXB840DVK)