An Empty Cabin in Reno
Marilyn Newton, Nevada State Journal (November 26, 1971). Public domain. Picture source
The jet lands in Reno with its stairs still down, and the crew finds the cabin empty except for two parachutes and a clip-on tie.
November 24, 1971, 11:02 pm, Reno, Nevada
The story
Far to the south, the jet touches down in Reno at 11:02 pm. Its stairs are still hanging open under the tail. Police and FBI agents surround it. Nobody wants to be first through the door in case the bomb is still there.
The captain walks back through the cabin. It is empty. One back parachute sits unused. One front parachute lies cut open, with lines missing. On seat 18E is a black clip-on tie with a pearl tie clip.
In this story, the tie is the only real mistake he makes. He had collected his notes and even his empty matchbook from Mucklow. But the tie stays behind, and it will sit in an FBI box for decades.
By the time the agents in Reno are dusting for fingerprints, the man in this story has been on the ground for almost three hours.
What the record says
Sir, we are going to land now, please put up the stairs.
Mucklow's last intercom call, from her FBI interview (FBI Vault Part 64, p. 164), as quoted on Wikipedia
There was no one on the plane, but two chutes remained.
HistoryLink.org Essay 1997
The plane was thoroughly searched and fingerprints were lifted from every surface the hijacker touched.
HistoryLink.org Essay 1997
Flight 305 landed in Reno at 11:02 pm with the stairs down, and the hijacker was not aboard. Agents found one unused back parachute, one opened front parachute with three lines cut out, a black clip-on tie with a tie clip on seat 18E, eight Raleigh cigarette butts and 66 latent fingerprints. Mucklow told the FBI he had asked for his notes and his empty matchbook back. The money, the bomb, the dummy front parachute and the second back parachute were never found.