D.B. Cooper

D.B. Cooper pulled off the only unsolved American hijacking, vanishing after parachuting from Northwest Orient Flight 305 with $200,000 (worth $1.5 million in 2026 dollars) on November 24, 1971. The FBI's 45-year investigation—the longest in their history—ended in 2016 with no arrest. Only $5,800 of the ransom surfaced, found by a boy in 1980. Over 1,000 suspects were investigated, yet Cooper's identity remains unknown. This case outperforms #2 (The Zodiac Killer) in longevity, as the FBI actively pursued it for nearly five decades before closing it. Cooper became a folk hero, unlike typical hijackers, because of his audacious escape. The exact location of his landing is still debated, with no physical evidence of his survival or death.