Parachute from D.B. Cooper hijacking case to go on display in Tacoma museum

The Washington State History Museum will display a parachute from the infamous D.B. Cooper hijacking case for the first time in over a decade, according to museum officials.

The exhibit, Collections Selections: A Parachute from the D.B. Cooper Investigation, will run from September 22 through March 16, 2025.

The parachute is one of two left behind by the mysterious hijacker, who leaped from a Northwest Orient flight with $200,000 in ransom money in 1971.

The hijacker, who used the alias Dan “D.B.” Cooper, famously parachuted from the plane during its flight from Seattle to Mexico City, and his fate remains unknown.

The FBI recovered this parachute as part of their investigation. It has been in the care of the Washington State Historical Society since it became part of their permanent collection.

“This exhibition is solely about offering the public a chance to see the parachute,” said Jennifer Kilmer, director of the Washington State Historical Society. “We are not promoting any theories about the case or the identity of D.B. Cooper.”

The museum notes that while no physical harm came to the passengers or crew during the hijacking, it remains a traumatic event for those involved.

The FBI officially closed the case without solving it, and the parachute, classified as crime evidence, is typically stored under strict conditions and is not available for public research.

Visitors to the museum will have the rare opportunity to view one of the most requested items in the collection, offering a connection to one of America’s most enduring unsolved mysteries.

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