United Airlines Hijacked in 1972: The Richard McCoy Saga
Alright, buckle up, because we’re diving into a real-life thriller that went down in the skies back in ’72. Forget your average in-flight movie – this was a hijacking with a daring escape, a massive manhunt, and a whole lot of cash.
The Day the Sky Wasn’t So Friendly
Picture this: April 7, 1972. United Airlines Flight 855 is cruising from Newark to Los Angeles, with a quick stop in Denver. On board are 85 passengers and a crew of six, just minding their own business. Then, Richard Floyd McCoy, Jr. steps onto the plane in Denver, and things are about to get wild.
About 20 minutes after takeoff, McCoy casually pulls out a hand grenade. Yep, you read that right. A flight attendant spots him and alerts the captain. There’s even an off-duty pilot on board, and they try to get a closer look, but McCoy’s not having it. He flashes a pistol and hands over a sealed envelope with "hijack instructions." Talk about a dramatic entrance!
Playing It Cool (Sort Of)
The captain, being the cool head that he is, gets the note and decides to play along for now. He tells the passengers they’re having a "minor mechanical problem" and need to land in Grand Junction, Colorado. But really, he’s trying to figure out how to handle this mess.
Inside the envelope are two pages of seriously detailed instructions, a grenade pin, and a bullet. McCoy wants $500,000, four parachutes, and all his instructions back. The crew decides to comply, at least for now, and they tell San Francisco about the situation. Then, they announce to the passengers that they need to divert to San Francisco because Grand Junction can’t handle the repairs. Smooth, right?
The Demands and the Drop
So, the plane lands in San Francisco, and United Airlines is like, "Okay, let’s not make this worse." They deliver two bags of cash and four parachutes to the plane. McCoy grabs his luggage (after handing over his baggage claim, of course), and the plane gets a full tank of gas.
After a few hours, McCoy releases the passengers and one of the flight attendants. The rest of the crew gets ordered into the cockpit, and McCoy heads to the back of the plane. He then uses the intercom to tell a flight attendant that he wants the pilot to take off towards the east, climb to 16,000 feet, and fly at 200 mph over a few specific towns in Utah. He also orders the cabin depressurized and warns that if he sees any other planes, he’ll blow up the plane after he jumps. Yikes!
The Great Escape
While all this is happening, the California Highway Patrol is on high alert for "flares and parachutes." Two fighter jets are even tailing the jetliner. McCoy then gets changed into a jumpsuit, helmet, and parachute. He also wants to know about wind speed, altitude, and all that good stuff.
Once the plane passes over the last town on his list, McCoy goes silent. A flight attendant peeks into the passenger area and realizes he’s jumped out the back with the ransom money somewhere over Utah. Helicopters and jeeps start heading into the area to try to find him.
The Hunt Begins
After landing in Salt Lake City, the FBI swarms the plane, looking for any clues. They collect everything McCoy might have touched: seat belts, gum wrappers, even a copy of the airline magazine. They also find a note he forgot to take with him. Turns out, that hand grenade was just a paperweight!
The crew and passengers describe McCoy as a guy in his 20s, about 5’10", wearing a dark suit, black gloves, and a wig. Some people remember that a passenger agent had to find the owner of an envelope left in the waiting room. The guy claimed it, went to the bathroom for a while, and then came out looking different. Some passengers even thought there might have been more than one person involved.
The Pieces Come Together
The FBI gets a call from someone who says they know a guy who had a "foolproof" plan to hijack a plane. That guy? Richard Floyd McCoy, Jr. Turns out he was a Vietnam vet, a helicopter pilot, and a skydiver. He was also in the Utah Air National Guard and studying to be a state trooper. Oh, and he was supposedly having money problems.
McCoy gets interviewed by the FBI but denies everything. But then, the FBI lab gets to work. A handwriting expert matches the note from the plane to McCoy’s military records. Fingerprint specialists find McCoy’s print on the airline magazine. And a 14-year-old kid finds one of the parachutes in a field near Provo, Utah.
The Walls Close In
An employee at a hamburger stand remembers selling McCoy a milkshake on the night of the hijacking. A teenager says he gave a guy matching McCoy’s description a ride. On April 9, McCoy gets charged with aircraft piracy.
The FBI searches McCoy’s house and finds skydiving gear, a typewriter that matches the one used for the hijacking instructions, and almost $500,000 in cash. On April 14, a grand jury indicts McCoy.
Justice Served (Sort Of)
Two months later, McCoy is found guilty and sentenced to 45 years in prison. He appeals to the Supreme Court, but they deny his petition.
But the story doesn’t end there. Two years later, McCoy escapes from prison with some accomplices by crashing a garbage truck through the gate. He’s tracked down three months later in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and gets killed in a shootout with the FBI in 1974.
The Takeaway
Richard Floyd McCoy, Jr.’s hijacking was one for the history books. It had everything: daring plans, a mid-air jump, a massive manhunt, and a dramatic ending. It’s a reminder that sometimes, real life is stranger (and more thrilling) than fiction.