What happened:

D.B. Cooper is the pseudonym of an unidentified man who hijacked a plane on Nov. 24, 1971. After the hijacker demanded four parachutes and $200,000, the flight landed in Seattle. There, the flight’s passengers were exchanged for the ransom money and parachutes. The flight then took off again and headed for Mexico City. But somewhere between Seattle and Reno, the hijacker jumped out of the plane with a parachute and the money. The hijacker has not been found to this day. However, there are many theories about who he was. (Side note: The highjacker bought his plane ticket under the name “Dan Cooper,” and after a misunderstanding, people/the media thought it was “D.B. Cooper” and the wrong fake name has stuck ever since.) 

Source: https://www.buzzfeed.com/crystalro/unsolved-mysteries-1