Richard McCoy Jr.
Due to a similar modus operandi, McCoy has been proposed as the person responsible for the November 1971 hijacking of Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305, attributed to the still-unidentified "D. B.In 1962 McCoy moved to Provo, Utah, and enrolled at Brigham Young University (BYU) before dropping out to serve a two-year tour of duty in the Army.[5] On April 7, 1972, McCoy, using the alias "James Johnson," boarded United Airlines Flight 855, a Boeing 727-22C (Registration: N7426U) en route from Newark, New Jersey to Los Angeles.McCoy boarded the plane, which carried 85 passengers and a crew of six, including pilot Captain Jerry Hearn, during a stopover in Denver.Inside his house, FBI agents found a jumpsuit and a duffel bag filled with cash totaling $499,970.[10] He and a crew of convicts (Joseph Havel, Larry L. Bagley, and Melvin Dale Walker) escaped on August 10, 1974, by commandeering a garbage truck and crashing it through the prison's main gate.Melvin Dale Walker tried to flee in their getaway car but he was apprehended after a short car chase by FBI Agents Richard Rafferty and Henry Bolin Jr.[14] 1991 saw the publication of D. B. Cooper: The Real McCoy, by Chief Probation Officer Bernie A. Rhodes Jr. and FBI agent Russell P. Calame.
Richard McCoy (disambiguation)Kinston, North CarolinaVirginia Beach, VirginiaAircraft piracyaircraft hijackerUnited Airlinesmodus operandiD. B. CooperCove CityProvo, UtahBrigham Young Universitytour of dutyVietnamdemolitionPurple HeartRaleighArmy Commendation MedalDistinguished Flying Crosswarrant officerUtah National GuardskydiverSunday schoolBoeing 727-22CNewark, New JerseyLos AngelesDenverduffel baghandwriting matchesNational GuardFederal penitentiaryLewisburg, Pennsylvaniagarbage truckVirginia BeachsettlementsFreedom of Information ActYouTubeAir MedalNational Defense Service MedalVietnam Service MedalRepublic of Vietnam Campaign MedalThe News & ObserverThe New York TimesAssociated PressFederal Bureau of InvestigationThe Washington PostThe FBI FilesUnited Press InternationalDeseret NewsUniversity of Utah Press