In reality, there two flight attendants who interacted with Cooper, making the possibility of a false description unlikely. Aside from this and a few other details, the show's depiction of the case is mostly accurate - up until Cooper jumps from the plane. In reality, of course, the case remains unsolved, and neither Cooper, his remains, nor the majority of the money has ever been found.
The Boeing 727 has a Trans Pacifica Airlines logo on it. In real life, the hijacked plane belonged to now defunct Northwest Orient Airlines, flight 305. The airline was later absorbed by Delta Airlines.
Timothy Hutton and Ronny Cox also starred in the motion picture Taps (1981). Here, Hutton plays a younger version of Cox's character.
Ronny Cox is another actor with a Star Trek connection as he portrayed Captain Edward Jellico in two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation. He also appeared in Stargate SG-1.