When Flight 305 landed in Reno, it was noted that a warning placard from the backdoor was missing. By a stroke of luck the tattered remain of this placard was found in November 1978 by hunter Carroll Hicks. Along with his partner he was hunting in the woods about 13 miles east of Castle Rock, Washington.

   Combined with the airliner’s known flight path, the location of the placard reconfirmed a wind drift from the southwest to the northeast.

   However, the reason it ripped free here bears on the most vital clue upon which the drop zone estimations hinge.

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