10 Most Compelling Suspects In The D.B. Cooper Hijacking
1. Robert Rackstraw
One of the leading figures in the search for D.B. Cooper is author Thomas J. Colbert, who put together a team of retired investigators to solve the mystery. The team eventually narrowed down the search to one man, Robert Rackstraw.
Rackstraw was a pilot in the Vietnam War and was involved in several missions which remain classified to this day. He first came to the attention of the FBI as a potential suspect in 1978, and was even asked during a TV interview if he was Cooper. Over the next few decades, Rackstraw admitted to various people he was in fact D.B. Cooper.
Thomas J. Colbert was so convinced of the fact that Rackstraw was Cooper, he tracked him down towards the end of his life and confronted Robert about the allegations on several occasions. He even went as far as to having lawyers present and securing immunity from prosecution for Rackstraw if he admitted to being Cooper.
Rackstraw denied all the rumours before passing away in 2019, but without stirring up a considerable media frenzy in the process. Colbert went as far as to sue the FBI on a freedom of information request, which led to the release of several documents which noted the similarities between Rackstraw and Cooper and the likelihood that they were the same man.