Posted on Jan 4, 2024
How D.B. Cooper inspired a St. Louis airplane hijacker
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In 1971, a single crime created an American legend. A man known only as D.B. Cooper bailed out of a plane with $200,000 and a parachute, never to be seen again.
But Cooper did more than create a personal legend. His actions prompted several people to attempt similar hijackings, including in St. Louis in 1972. The hijacker in that case, Martin McNally, successfully hijacked an American Airlines flight departing Lambert-St. Louis International Airport — but during his escape, he dropped the ransom of $500,000.
McNally’s crimes in St. Louis form the core of the new book “American Flight 119: How D.B. Cooper Inspired a Skyjacking Craze and the FBI’s Battle to Stop It,” by University of Missouri history professor John Wigger.
But Cooper did more than create a personal legend. His actions prompted several people to attempt similar hijackings, including in St. Louis in 1972. The hijacker in that case, Martin McNally, successfully hijacked an American Airlines flight departing Lambert-St. Louis International Airport — but during his escape, he dropped the ransom of $500,000.
McNally’s crimes in St. Louis form the core of the new book “American Flight 119: How D.B. Cooper Inspired a Skyjacking Craze and the FBI’s Battle to Stop It,” by University of Missouri history professor John Wigger.
How D.B. Cooper inspired a St. Louis airplane hijacker
Posted from stlpr.org
St. Louis
Flying
Travel
Crime
American History
Posted 4 mo ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."“I think in many ways, [McNally] came the closest to getting away with it,” Wigger said. “There are certainly easier ways to steal money than bailing out of the back of a [Boeing] 727 at night. I think that's one of the things that connected all of the parachute hijackers, that looking for some big event that would give their lives a sense of meaning.”
He added: “I think there were also other things that formed a profile, if you will, for these hijackers. Most of them had experienced the trauma of war, usually in World War II or Vietnam. I think it's pretty clear that most of them were suffering from some form of PTSD. And in some cases, [hijacking] was something that they did and really couldn't even explain later why they had done it.”
..."“I think in many ways, [McNally] came the closest to getting away with it,” Wigger said. “There are certainly easier ways to steal money than bailing out of the back of a [Boeing] 727 at night. I think that's one of the things that connected all of the parachute hijackers, that looking for some big event that would give their lives a sense of meaning.”
He added: “I think there were also other things that formed a profile, if you will, for these hijackers. Most of them had experienced the trauma of war, usually in World War II or Vietnam. I think it's pretty clear that most of them were suffering from some form of PTSD. And in some cases, [hijacking] was something that they did and really couldn't even explain later why they had done it.”
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