Editing D. B. Cooper (section)

===Back in the air===
[[File:Northwest_Airlines_Flight_305_Crew.jpg|thumb|right|Crew of Flight 305 upon landing in Reno: (left to right) Captain William Scott, Co-pilot Bill Rataczak, Flight Attendant Tina Mucklow, Flight Engineer Harold E. Anderson]]
Around 7:40&nbsp;pm, Flight 305 took off, with only Cooper, Mucklow, Scott, Rataczak and Flight Engineer Anderson aboard.{{sfn|Himmelsbach|Worcester|1986|p=36}} Two [[Convair F-106 Delta Dart|F-106]] fighters from McChord Air Force Base{{sfn|Himmelsbach|Worcester|1986|pp=45-46}} and a [[Lockheed T-33]] trainer—diverted from an unrelated [[Air National Guard]] mission—followed the 727. All three jets maintained "S" flight patterns to stay behind the slow-moving 727,{{r|vault_53|page=141}} and out of Cooper's view. After takeoff, Cooper told Mucklow to lower the aft staircase. She told him and the flight crew she feared being sucked out of the aircraft.{{r|vault_64|quote=She told him that she was fearful of being sucked out of the airplane.|page=156}} The flight crew suggested she come to the cockpit and retrieve an emergency rope with which she could tie herself to a seat. Cooper rejected the suggestion, stating he did not want her going up front or the flight crew coming back to the cabin.{{r|vault_64|quote=The cockpit called and told her to use the escape rope to secure herself when they found out that she was going to lower the ladder once the aircraft is airborne. She related this to the hijacker and he said, 'no,' he didn't want her to go up front or them to come back.|page=164}} She continued to express her fear to him, and asked him to cut some cord from one of the parachutes to create a safety line for her. He said he would lower the stairs himself,{{r|vault_64|quote=She asked him to cut some nylon cord from the parachute for her to use as a safety line when she opened the rear ladder and the hijacker said, 'Nevermind,' that he would do it...|page=164}} instructed her to go to the cockpit, close the curtain partition between the Coach and First Class sections and not return.{{r|vault_64|quote=the hijacker suddenly told her to go forward of the aft compartment, to close the curtain behind her and not to return to the rear compartment again.|page=156}}

Before she left, Mucklow begged Cooper, "Please, please take the bomb with you."<ref name="RS_Marks"/> Cooper responded that he would either disarm it or take it with him.{{r|vault_64|quote=she pleaded with him to take the bomb with him and he said he would take it with him or disarm it before he leaves.|page=164}} As she walked to the cockpit and turned to close the curtain partition, she saw Cooper standing in the aisle tying what appeared to be the money bag around his waist.{{sfn|Himmelsbach|Worcester|1986|p=42}}{{r|vault_64|quote="the last time she saw him he had a nylon cord tied around his waist and was standing in the isle."|page=164}} From takeoff to when Mucklow entered the cockpit, four to five minutes had elapsed. For the rest of the flight to [[Reno, Nevada|Reno]], Mucklow remained in the cockpit,{{r|vault_64|quote=Approximately four minutes after take off, he stood up, told her to go to the cockpit|page=164}} and was the last person to see Cooper. Around 8:00&nbsp;pm, a cockpit warning light flashed, indicating the aft staircase had been deployed. Scott used the plane's [[intercom]] to ask Cooper if he needed assistance, but Cooper's last message{{sfn|Himmelsbach|Worcester|1986|p=44}} was a one-word reply: "No."<ref name="Caldwell1971" /> The crew's ears popped from the drop in air pressure from the stairs being opened.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Perry|first=Douglas|date=November 8, 2021|title=D.B. Cooper at 50: Push to solve case gains steam, but much about famous skyjacking remains a mystery|url=https://oregonlive.com/history/2021/11/db-cooper-at-50-push-to-solve-case-gains-steam-but-much-about-famous-skyjacking-remains-a-mystery.html|url-status=live|access-date=January 13, 2022|website=[[The Oregonian]]|archive-date=January 13, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220113213031/https://www.oregonlive.com/history/2021/11/db-cooper-at-50-push-to-solve-case-gains-steam-but-much-about-famous-skyjacking-remains-a-mystery.html}}</ref> At approximately 8:13&nbsp;p.m., the aircraft's tail section suddenly [[Aircraft principal axes|pitched]] upward, forcing the pilots to [[trim tab|trim]] and return the aircraft to level flight.{{sfn|Bragg|2005|p=4}} In his interview with the FBI, Rataczak said the sudden upward pitch occurred while the flight was near the suburbs north of Portland.{{r|vault_64|quote=Rataczak stated they had not yet reached Portland proper, but were definitely in the suburbs or the immediate vicinity thereof.|page=322}}

With the aft cabin door open and the staircase deployed, the flight crew remained in the cockpit, unsure if Cooper was still aboard. Mucklow used the intercom to inform Cooper they were approaching Reno and that he needed to raise the stairs so the airplane could land safely. She repeated her requests as the pilots made the final approach to land, but neither Mucklow nor the flight crew received a reply from Cooper.{{r|vault_64|quote=Before descending at Reno, Nev., she called repeatedly over the intercom system to the hijacker to cooperate, that the aircraft must land. The last message was, 'Sir, we are going to land now, please put up the stairs.'|page=164}} At 11:02&nbsp;pm, with the aft staircase still deployed, Flight 305 landed at Reno–Tahoe International Airport.{{sfn|Edwards|2021|pp=42}} FBI agents, state troopers, sheriff's deputies and [[Reno Police Department|Reno police]] established a perimeter around the aircraft but, fearing the hijacker and the bomb were still aboard, did not approach the plane. Scott searched the cabin, confirmed Cooper was no longer aboard and, after a thirty-minute search, an FBI [[bomb squad]] declared the cabin safe.{{sfn|Himmelsbach|Worcester|1986|p=48}}