Local author presents slideshow on the legend of D.B. Cooper

Some legends die hard.

Some legends die hard.

For almost 40 years, the legend of outlaw skyjacker D.B. Cooper – who successfully highjacked a Northwest Airlines 727 bound from Portland to Seattle in 1971, getting away with $200,000 in ransom – has captivated the public nationwide but particularly here in the Pacific Northwest.

Along the way, many theories regarding the true identity of D.B. Cooper have made the rounds, including recent news that the FBI had ordered DNA testing of a tie left on the plane by D.B. Cooper, trying to find a match with an Oregon suspect named L.D. Cooper.

With the announcement last week that the DNA did not match, the legend remains very much alive.

Especially for Auburn author Robert Blevins, who presented a slideshow at the Auburn Avenue Theater during Auburn’s Good Ol’ Days celebration, detailing the case that led him to name Bonney Lake and Sumner resident Kenneth Peter Christiansen in his book “Into the Blast: The True Story of D.B. Cooper,” co-written with Skipp Porteous.

Blevins displayed photos illustrating the circumstantial evidence that led him to write the book, which postulates that Christiansen, a World War II paratrooper and Northwest Airlines purser, was the hijacker.

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“Into the Blast: The True Story of D.B. Cooper” sells for $12.99 and is available at amazon.com or at Browser’s Books in Kent.