William Rataczak, a retired Northwest Airlines pilot who served on the flight deck during the 1971 flight hijacked by the man later known as D.B. Cooper, died late last month at an assisted living facility in North Oaks, Minnesota. He was 86. His son told The New York Times the cause was pneumonia.
A former Air Force pilot, Rataczak joined Northwest in 1966 and went on to log about 35,000 flight hours over a 34-year airline career. He was 32 when he took his seat on the flight deck of Flight 305, the Boeing 727-100 whose now famous-but-mysterious passenger—identified on his ticket as Dan Cooper—claimed to have a bomb. Cooper demanded $200,000 and four parachutes. Once the aircraft landed in Seattle, Cooper exchanged the flight’s passengers for the money and parachutes, though he kept the flight crew. The aircraft took back off, directed by Cooper to set a course towards Mexico City. Somewhere between Seattle and Reno, Cooper parachuted from the aircraft into the night.
Rataczak later recalled the day as one shaped by the more relaxed airport environment of the era. In a 2015 BBC interview, he remembered a rainy boarding in Portland, Oregon, with passengers moving up the aft stairs of the 727 as the crew prepared for departure. After Cooper relayed his demands through a flight attendant, the aircraft spent hours circling the Puget Sound while the money and parachutes were gathered.
The FBI’s NORJAK investigation lasted decades, examining more than 800 suspects before the bureau shifted resources away from the case in 2016, though it still draws attention from amature investigators. Cooper’s fate remains unknown, though a portion of the ransom money was recovered in 1980.
Aside from serving as a pilot during the hijacking, Rataczak built a reputation as a steady and personable airline pilot. His family’s obituary noted that a Northwest manager once said “Bill didn’t just fly airplanes, he flew people,” a sentiment they said was echoed by colleagues over the years.
He was active in his community, a dedicated runner and hockey coach, and a determined athlete who recovered from a severe bicycle accident at age 68.
Rataczak is survived by his children Michael, James and Sarah; his siblings Katherine Bensen, David Rataczak and Scott Rataczak; eight grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter. His wife, Judith, died in 2022.
