Editing D. B. Cooper (section)

===Passengers released===
[[File:Northwest Boeing 727 airstair (1975).jpg|thumb|[[Boeing 727]] with the aft airstair open]]
Around 5:24 PST, Scott was informed the parachutes had been delivered to Sea-Tac and notified Cooper they would be landing soon. At 5:46 PST, Flight 305 landed at Sea-Tac.{{r|vault_64|quote=The Flight landed at Seattle International Airport at 5:46 Pacific time.|page= 163}} With Cooper's permission, Scott parked the aircraft on a partially-lit runway, away from the main terminal.{{r|vault_64|quote=Prior to landing, the captain wanted permission to park his aircraft away from the terminal and the hijacker said okay.|page= 163}} Cooper demanded only one representative of the airline approach the plane with the parachutes and money, and the only entrance and exit would be through the aircraft's front door via mobile stairs.{{r|vault_66|page=15|quote=He requested an unmarked car and a representative of the airline would be allowed to approach the aircraft from a ten o'clock relative position. The only other equipment to go near the aircraft was to be the air stairs and refueling equipment.}}

Northwest's Seattle operations manager, Al Lee, was designated to be the courier. To avoid the possibility Cooper might mistake Lee's airline uniform for a law enforcement officer, he changed into civilian clothes for the task.{{sfn|Himmelsbach|Worcester|1986|p=28}} With the passengers remaining seated, a ground crew attached a mobile stair. Per Cooper's directive, Mucklow exited the aircraft through the front door and retrieved the ransom money. When she returned, she carried the money bag past the seated passengers to Cooper in the last row.<ref>{{cite report |url=https://vault.fbi.gov/D-B-Cooper%20/D.B.%20Cooper%20Part%2010/view |title=Cord Zum Spreckel FBI Interview |date=November 26, 1971 |publisher=Federal Bureau of Investigation |page=451 |quote=the blonde stewardess, who had been sitting next to the hijacker, got up and went forward and out of the forward exit of the plane. He said she returned through the same door after several minutes carrying a package which was made of off-white canvas. |access-date=October 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221018031102/https://vault.fbi.gov/D-B-Cooper%20/D.B.%20Cooper%20Part%2010/view |archive-date=October 18, 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref>{{r|vault_64|quote=[she] departed the aircraft through the forward door as soon as the stairs were put in place.|page=163}}

Cooper then agreed to release the passengers.<ref name="vault_26"/> As they debarked, Cooper inspected the money. In an attempt to break the tension, Mucklow jokingly asked Cooper if she could have some of it. Cooper readily agreed and handed her a packet of bills, but she immediately returned the money and explained accepting gratuities was against company policy. She said Cooper had tried to tip her and the other two flight attendants earlier in the flight with money from his pocket, but they had each declined, citing the policy.{{r|vault_64|quote=[Mucklow] recalled that she, in an attempt at being humorous, stated to the hijacker while the passengers were unloading that there was obviously a lot of money in the bag and she wondered if she could have some. The hijacker immediately agreed with her suggestion and_took one package of the money, denominations unrecalled by and handed it to her. She returned the money, stating to the hijacker that she was not permitted to accept gratuities or words to that effect. In this connection recalled that at one time during the flight the hijacker had pulled some single bills from his pocket and had attempted to tip all the girls on the crew. Again they declined in compliance with company policy.|page=163}}

With the passengers safely debarked, only Cooper and the six crew members remained aboard.{{r|vault_64|quote=She also recalled that at this time all hostesses and male crew members were still aboard the aircraft.|page=153}} In accordance with Cooper's demands, Mucklow made three trips outside the aircraft to retrieve the parachutes, which she brought to him in the rear of the plane.{{r|vault_64|pages=152–153}} While Mucklow brought aboard the parachutes, Schaffner asked Cooper if she could retrieve her purse, stored in a compartment behind his seat. Cooper agreed and told her, "I won't bite you." Flight attendant Hancock then asked Cooper if the flight attendants could leave, to which he replied, "Whatever you girls would like,"<ref>{{cite report |date= November 24, 1971|title= FBI Interview with Alice Hancock, Nov 24, 1971|quote=then Mrs. Hancock went to the back of the plane and approached the hijacker and asked if the stewardesses could go and he said 'whatever you girls would like.'}}</ref>{{r|vault_64|quote=[Florence] came back to where the hijacker was seated and asked if she could get her purse and he said that she should come on back, he wouldn't bite her.|page=163}} so Hancock and Schaffner debarked. When Mucklow brought the final parachute to Cooper, she gave him printed instructions for using the parachutes, but Cooper said he didn't need them.{{r|vault_64|quote=At this point she gave him a paper sheet giving instructions on how to jump and he said he didn't need that.|page=163}}

A problem with the refueling process caused a delay, so a second truck and then a third were brought to the aircraft to complete the refueling.{{sfn|Himmelsbach|Worcester|1986|pp=35–36}} During the delay, Mucklow said Cooper complained the money was delivered in a cloth bag instead of a knapsack as he had directed, and he now had to improvise a new way to transport the money.{{r|vault_64|quote=He appeared irritated that they did not give him a knapsack.|page=163}} Using a pocket knife, he cut the canopy from one of the reserve parachutes, and stuffed some of the money into the empty parachute bag.{{r|vault_64|quote=he was occupied with one of the parachute packs ... and attempting to in some way attach it to his body. ... Her recollections in this regard were vague.|page=155}}

An FAA official requested a face-to-face meeting with Cooper aboard the aircraft, but Cooper denied the request.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Rothenberg|first1 = David|last2=Ulvaeus|first2=Marta|title=The New Earth Reader: The Best of Terra Nova|publisher=[[MIT Press]]|year=1999|location=[[Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambridge]], [[Massachusetts]]|page=[https://archive.org/details/newearthreaderbe0000unse/page/4 4]|isbn=978-0262181952|url=https://archive.org/details/newearthreaderbe0000unse/page/4}}</ref> Cooper became impatient, saying, "This shouldn't take so long," and, "Let's get this show on the road."<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Elliott |first=Gina |date=December 6, 1971 |title=CRIME: The Bandit Who Went Out into the Cold |url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,877495,00.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240727133302/https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,877495,00.html |archive-date=July 27, 2024 |access-date= |magazine=Time |issn=0040-781X}}</ref><ref name=Caldwell1971>{{Cite news|last=Caldwell|first=Earl|date=November 26, 1971|title=Hijacker collects ransom of $200,000; parachutes from jet and disappears|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/11/26/archives/hijacker-collects-ransom-of-200000-parachutes-from-jet-and.html|access-date=January 13, 2022|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=October 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211008121340/https://www.nytimes.com/1971/11/26/archives/hijacker-collects-ransom-of-200000-parachutes-from-jet-and.html|url-status=live}}</ref> He then gave the cockpit crew his [[flight plan]] and directives: a southeast course toward [[Mexico City]] at the minimum [[airspeed]] possible without [[stall (fluid dynamics)|stalling]] the aircraft—approximately {{convert|100|kn|round=5}}—at a maximum {{convert|10000|ft|adj=on}} altitude. Cooper also specified the [[landing gear]] must remain deployed, the [[Flap (aeronautics)|wing flaps]] must be lowered 15 degrees and the cabin must remain [[cabin pressurization|unpressurized]].{{sfn|Rothenberg|Ulvaeus|1999|p=5}}

First Officer Rataczak informed Cooper that the configuration limited the aircraft's range to about {{convert|1000|mi}}, so a second refueling would be necessary before entering Mexico. Cooper and the crew discussed options, and agreed on [[Reno–Tahoe International Airport]] as the refueling stop.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Buergin|first=Miles|date=October 14, 2020|title=Knowing Nevada: Revisiting the Mystery of D.B. Cooper|url=https://mynews4.com/news/knowing-nevada/knowing-nevada-revisiting-the-mystery-of-db-cooper|access-date=January 13, 2022 |publisher=[[KRNV-DT|KRNV]] |archive-date=January 13, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220113212427/https://mynews4.com/news/knowing-nevada/knowing-nevada-revisiting-the-mystery-of-db-cooper|url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfn|Himmelsbach|Worcester|1986|pp=33–35}} Cooper further directed the aircraft take off with the rear exit door open and its [[airstair]] extended.{{sfn|Gray|2011b|pp=74–77}} Northwest officials objected for reasons of safety, but Cooper countered by saying, "It can be done, do it," but then did not insist and said he would lower the staircase once they were airborne.{{sfn|Gray|2011b|pp=74–77}} Cooper demanded Mucklow remain aboard to assist the operation.{{r|vault_64|quote=It was finally agreed...that Mucklow would remain on board to lower the door and stairs after the aircraft was airborne.|page=153}}