The Hijacking of American Flight 119

How D.B. Cooper Inspired a Skyjacking Craze and the FBI's Battle to Stop It

By: John Wigger

Narrated by: T. Ryder Smith

He 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. Cooper”—no one knows his real name or identity—has 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 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 flights between 1961 and 1972. One hijacker ran across the ramp in Reno, Nevada, with a pillowcase over his head, gun in hand, to seize a United Airlines flight.

Another collected a large ransom in Washington, D.C., before jumping over Honduras. Yet another rode a bicycle across the tarmac with a rifle strapped to the handlebars.

Motivations involved an admixture of ideology, greed, derring-do, and a desperate need to be noticed. What they had in common was that their exploits transfixed the nation’s attention, bringing about a transformation in airline security that remains with us still.

With its focus on the parachute hijackers, Wigger’s book gathers together the stories of this period of daring criminality and recounts them in gripping fashion, showing their effect on the public, the media, and law enforcement. Using never-before-published interviews and first-hand accounts, he brings to life one of the most chaotic and fascinating periods in American aviation history.

©2024 John Wigger (P)2023 Recorded Books

the trend among men of a certain "type"

Interesting subject matter, odd, dangerous way to obtain a large lump sum of money. well researched

Excellent coverage

I knew the two pilots on AA 119 but had never heard the full, amazing story. Very detailed coverage of many other hijackings of the time, and interesting perspective on DB Cooper’s caper. -JJ

Comprehensive Review of Airline Hijacking History

Interesting take on the hijacking of flight 119 incident and how it fit into the legacy of earlier hijackings and the broader cultural moment. Informative with lots of details.