Brad Meltzer's Decoded, Season 1, Episode 6 Alleged that D.B. Cooper was the Late Kenny Christiansen

Brad Meltzer's Decoded , Season 1, Episode 6 aired on History Channel Thursday night, with allegations that former Northwest Airlines employee (and late) Kenny Christiansen was D.B. Cooper. The case of the hijacking of a Boeing 727 that took place almost 40 years ago on November 24, 1971, is one I've followed over the years. So I felt compelled to watch the program to see if there were any new insights or discoveries, even though this team of investigators has shown to be nothing but hacks for the elitist establishment (i.e. the episodes on The White House and Statue of Liberty). Season 1, Episode 6 of Brad Meltzer's Decoded did come up with a lot of circumstantial evidence that Kenny Christiansen is D.B. Cooper. Once again, the program's namesake stands in front of a blackboard while the crew of Scott, Christine, and Buddy do the convoluted field work.

Season 1, Episode 6 of Brad Meltzer's Decoded Alleges Kenny Christiansen Made a Deathbed Confession that He Had a Secret

In a nutshell, the hijacking involved Northwest Flight 305 from Portland to Seattle in which the assailant parachuted out of an airplane with $200,000 in ransom money which he got in return for not following up on his threat to blow up the plane. Many people have come forward over the years claiming to be D. B. Cooper, but the FBI still considers this an open case, and refused to cooperate with the History Channel show. D. B. Cooper is a folk hero to many. Songs, movies, and celebrations of his hijacking are featured and commemorated to this day.

The team first talks to author Robert Blevins, who alleges that Kenny Christiansen is D.B. Cooper. Christiansen made $512 a month before the hijacking, then started living the "high life" afterwords. Christiansen also had paratrooper training. But the FBI ruled him out because he didn't match witness descriptions, wasn't a career criminal, plus the feds didn't believe D. B. Cooper had any military training according to Brad Meltzer on the Season 1, Episode 6 airing.

Christiansen's brother Lyle said that Kenny gave him a deathbed confession that he had a secret, but wouldn't reveal it. But Lyle decided to go through his late brother's possessions. Lyle showed the Brad Meltzer's Decoded team on Season 1, Episode 6 pictures, letters, bank statements (showing a balance of $186,000), etc. of Kenny Christiansen. He also showed an attaché case that may have been used during the hijacking, which he loans to the investigators. The case contained a FBI poster on D.B. Cooper. Apparently, Kenny Christiansen was not a happy employee of Northwest, and had trouble making ends meet before the hijacking, tired of the airline strikes which cost him money.

Brad Meltzer's Decoded, Season 1, Episode 6 Revealed that the Found D. B. Cooper Money from 1980 Sold High at a 2008 Auction

In Washington state, former FBI agent Ralph Himmelsbach, who was in charge of the investigation from 1971-80, did go on record during the Season 1, Episode 6 airing. He went over more specifics of the case, but claimed that Kenny Christiansen wasn't on his radar. D. B. Cooper knew that the plane needed to be at less than 10,000 feet above sea level in order to have an easier time to jump out of the plane's back stairwell (since the plane wouldn't be pressurized) with wind chill temperatures around -69 degrees. Cooper also made sure the airspeed didn't exceed 200 mph. Yet Himmelsbach didn't believe the skyjacker survived, even though Richard McCoy survived a jump from a 727 at 6,000 feet higher during his skyjacking in 1972, but he, too, was ruled out as D. B. Cooper. Larry Yount, a skydive instructor, said that people pay money to actually imitate the D. B. Cooper jump using 727s on Season 1, Episode 6 of Brad Meltzer's Decoded.

Bruce Kitts, a Northwest Airlines historian, said that Christiansen was a "jack of all trades" type of employee, joking that Northwest was referred to as "Cobra Airlines" because "they strike at anything." He confirmed that Christiansen's employment was "choppy", and that he had a good chance of not being recognized by the domestic route flight attendants on the flight he hijacked, especially if he worked on the international routes.

The team visited the house Christiansen paid cash for after the hijacking on Brad Meltzer's Decoded, Sesaon 1, Episode 6. It's now a print shop in Bonney Lake, Washington. Current owner Dan Rattenbury talked about money being discovered on the property. The FBI had the money traced before it was handed over to Cooper. In 1980, a boy found some $5,800 of the traced $20 bills on the banks of the Columbia River, about 40 miles from the alleged drop site. Some of those bills were put up for auction in 2008, and many of the bills sold for thousands a piece. Eventually, a secret space is found in the attic above the bedroom where Kenny Christiansen slept, but no money was there.

Again, the letters of Christiansen were scrutinized, and a person named Bernie Geestman came up a lot. Robert Blevins believes they were friends and that Geestman drove D. B. Cooper to the airport and then met the hijacker in the area of the alleged drop site. Blevins reveals a picture showing Christiansen dressed as D. B. Cooper (circa Christmas 1971) plus carrying a sack of money(?) and an attaché case, which Blevins charged that Geestman took the photo on Season 1, Episode 6 of Brad Meltzer's Decoded.

Bernie Geestman is Confronted about the D.B. Cooper Case on Brad Meltzer's Decoded, Season 1, Episode 6

The show ends with Bernie meeting the investigative team in an undisclosed motel room. Geestman revealed that he worked with Christiansen. He denied renting a room to Kenny even though Christiansen's letters say otherwise, and basically underplayed their association as a friendship. Geestman's opinion is that D. B. Cooper is Kenny Christiansen because his looks match the FBI photo.

Former prosecutor Scott told Bernie that the statute of limitations has run out and Geestman can't be prosecuted for revealing what he knows/did. Geestman firmly denied being an accomplice to the skyjacking even though he was confronted with circumstantial evidence of their association, including being at Christiansen's deathbed. The team ultimately believes Geestman was telling the truth, but they also think that Christiansen is the most likely person to be the 1971 hijacker.

The host of Brad Meltzer's Decoded made a real bonehead statement on the Season 1, Episode 6 airing. He credited the hijacking for the installation of metal detectors at the airport, but then went on to blame D.B. Cooper for passengers having to stand in a security line for an hour. Oh, Mr. Meltzer, did September 11, 2001 have anything to do with all these extra security measures people have to deal with today? Prior to 9/11, the security measures weren't anywhere as close to being as intrusive.

Sources:

"D.B. Cooper", Brad Meltzer's Decoded, January 6, 2010, History Channel