Not the first time something like this has happened with parts of the engine or cowling coming off...

..

Shutter,

Given that it appears the debris from yesterday’s incident fell straight down underneath the flight path, what would account for the insistence that the Hicks placard floated several miles off 305s flight path? Yesterday had the same altitude, same wind speed, same wind direction. So what would account for the miles deviation of the Hicks placard? Just it’s weight?

Shutter, permit me to inject something here.  Nothing from an airliner that is doing at least 200+ MPH falls straight down.  Everything has an initial forward motion along the flight path, but the heavier objects will continue further along that path than the lighter objects which will slow down much faster.  Things such as the Cooper placard will slow down almost instantly.  But in short order, everything is moving vertically with respect to the air mass and subject to the winds aloft.

The heavier objects will be on the ground first and the lighter objects will take longer and thus will drift horizontally much further.  In sky diving, a no-pull skydiver falling head first from 10,000 feet will be on the ground in about 40 seconds.  If he is in a stable spread, it will take about 60 seconds.  If he is under canopy from 10,000 feet, the descent rate will be about 1200 feet per minute and he will be on the ground in about 8 minutes.