Description
Book SynopsisHe pulled off what some deem the crime of the century: skyjacking a commercial jetliner, collecting a ransom of $200,000, parachuting off the aft stairs of the Boeing 727 into the night, and simply disappearing. Since November 1971, D.B. Cooperno one knows his real name or identityhas become a figure of enduring fascination and obsession. The FBI pursued him for over forty years, before closing the case and leaving it unsolved.Unsolved, perhaps, but much admired. D.B. Cooper''s exploit over the skies of the American Northwest has inspired books, films, and endless speculation. What''s less known is that it inspired imitators. None were more daring than the hijacker of American Airlines Flight 119. After commandeering the flight from St. Louis with a machine gun and collecting $502,500 in ransom, he parachuted out over Indiana. Unlike Cooper, he was tracked down.In The Hijacking of American Flight 119, John Wigger explores the wave of hijackings that swept over commercial flight between
Trade ReviewSkillfully researched and written with beguiling flair, The Hijacking of American Flight 119 is an essential guide to the madcap era in which criminals, dreamers, and desperate souls made routine flying a perilous affair. * Brendan I. Koerner, Author of The Skies Belong To Us and Now the Hell Will Start *
Historian and master storyteller John Wigger offers a thrill ride into an astonishing cultural phenomenon, an era when misguided souls hijacked commercial airliners for ransom, then jumped out with the cash-and only the vaguest idea how to work a parachute. * Peter Houlahan, Author of Norco '80: The True Story of the Most Spectacular Bank Robbery in American History *
As a Boeing 727 captain I've always been fascinated by the story of D.B. Cooper and those who tried to copy him. John Wigger digs deep into one, bringing into full view the stranger-than-fiction story of American Airlines flight 119, based on the testimony of those directly involved in the hijacking, lovingly and painstakingly recapturing the events that still influence the aviation industry today. I promise: this book will make you more tolerant of those intrusive TSA pat downs. * Captain Erika Armstrong, Author of A Chick in the Cockpit *
Propulsive and insightful, this is a thorough portrait of a striking episode in American history. * Publishers Weekly *
Inherently compelling. * The Wall Street Journal *
Wigger's hugely entertaining book travels a previously unexplored byway of aviation history and is probably best read on dry land, just to be absolutely sure. * Marcus Berkmann, Daily Mail *
Table of ContentsPrologue Part 1: The Heist Chapter 1: The Hijacking Chapter 2: Sharon Wetherley Chapter 3: David Spellman Chapter 4: The Friendly Skies Chapter 5: Heinrick von George Chapter 6: The Money Chapter 7: Mohawk Airlines Flight 452 Chapter 8: The Pilots Chapter 9: The Parachutes Chapter 10: D.B. Cooper Chapter 11: Tom Parker Chapter 12: Richard McCoy Chapter 13: The Switch Chapter 14: David Hanley Chapter 15: Cadillac Impact Chapter 16: The Boeing 727 Chapter 17: Snipers Chapter 18: Chase Planes Chapter 19: A Short History of Parachuting Chapter 20: Wheels Up Chapter 21: The Jump Part 2: The Chase Chapter 22: The Call Chapter 23: Dead or Alive Chapter 24: Peru, Indiana Chapter 25: Nowhere Man Chapter 26: The Sketch Chapter 27: Survivors Chapter 28: The Money, the Guns, and the Pants Chapter 29: Show Me the Money Chapter 30: Tell Me Your Name Chapter 31: The Parachute Chapter 32: The Tip Chapter 33: A Life of Crime Chapter 34: The Plan Chapter 35: A Ride Home Chapter 36: The Informant Chapter 37: Fingerprints Chapter 38: The Arrest Chapter 39: Evidence Chapter 40: Fallout Chapter 41: Hijacker's Heaven Part 3: Connecting Flights Chapter 42: How It Began Chapter 43: Take Me to Cuba Chapter 44: Anywhere but Here Chapter 45: Hijack House Chapter 46: Security Chapter 47: Ransoms Chapter 48: A Means of Escape Chapter 49: The Trial Chapter 50: Prison Break Chapter 51: Finding D.B. Cooper Chapter 52: Arrivals Acknowledgments Index
