Tie One On

D.B. Cooper sadly left us with very little evidence besides his discarded skinny black

clip-on tie and mother of pearl clip. Decades after the plane highjack, updated scans of

the tie showed a vast array of unusual particles including titanium, uranium, antimony,

bismuth, vanadium, thorium, palladium, and others too numerous – and odd – to

mention. This seemed to point to his employment in some sort of research facility. But is

it that simple? Part of the problem is that we don’t know if Cooper was the original, and

only, owner of the tie. I began to ponder – how would one come to be in possession of

someone else’s tie?!

The first option most think of is Cooper bought the tie at some sort of used clothing

outlet – a thrift shop, church rummage sale, etc. The tie was probably manufactured

around 1964 per the retail chain that sold this brand, so a dirty old clip-on tie does not

seem like a prized find for thrifty shoppers, but it is possible. Perhaps it was a charitable

donation and Cooper picked it up free at a shelter or church catering to the homeless or

indigent. Maybe.

Many jobs back in that era maintained a strict dress code that included a tie. Forgetful

employees may have had access to a box of well-worn ties or other extra work attire if

they rushed from home inappropriately dressed. Did Cooper swipe a necktie from the

community box at the lab? I need to ponder that one.

Another possibility is Cooper borrowed the tie. And who borrows a tie? Hard to imagine

in 1971 that a middle-aged man would not own a tie. After all, he was wearing a suit!

Suppose Cooper traveled a long distance to pull off the crime? If he brought his

“highjacker costume” with him, maybe he forgot his tie? Seems implausible, and who

would he borrow a tie from anyway? This implies he knew someone in Portland that he

felt comfortable asking for such a favor. Why not just buy one?

IF indeed Cooper was not the original owner of the infamous neckwear (Big IF), my best

guess is that it was purchased at some sort of second-hand store or garage sale. I think

the main clue that it was not his tie for very long was the fact he left it on the plane. He

was careful retrieving other bits of evidence and forgetting an article of clothing seemed

like a major mistake. But – no one is perfect! Even the skyjacker who got away…

-Pat