MH370 Likely Debris Found

[A35K]

Not sure if this should go here or in Space Lounge, so feel free to move it.

Anyway, a piece of debris has been found on the French island of La Reunion in the Indian Ocean.

Several experts confirmed this is a flaperon from a Boeing 777, and MH370 is the only unaccounted for 777.

Ocean currents match up with the suspected crash site, and the piece looks appropriate for something that would have been in the water for around a year. If this is indeed a piece of MH370, it would at least confirm that it crashed in the Indian ocean, bringing ever so slightly closer the answer to this mystery.

[smjjames]

Wouldn't pieces have started showing up off the coast of Indonesia even earlier? Of course though, if it gets caught in the gyre, it would probably be steered away from Indonesia.

Hopefully they can try to backtrace it and get a better idea of the location, but still, huge ocean and all that.

[KerikBalm]

Well, now they can put to rest those conspiracy theories that it landed safely somewhere else for *insert crazy reason here*, or that it flew over Ukraine and faked being shot down there (since they were both Malaysia airline 777s).

But they won't, because conspiracy theorists will just invent a more elaborate explanation for this.

[jwenting]

and who are those "experts"?

Don't know what it is, but could just as well from the shape of it be a piece of a WW2 bomber or transport that's been sitting there for decades, hidden under foliage...

[Kerbart]

Well, now they can put to rest those conspiracy theories that it landed safely somewhere else for *insert crazy reason here*, or that it flew over Ukraine and faked being shot down there (since they were both Malaysia airline 777s).

But they won't, because conspiracy theorists will just invent a more elaborate explanation for this.

Well doh. Wouldn't you on purpose take a few pieces of the 777 that you landed somewhere and drop them in the ocean to suggest it crashed? Note how pristine that flaperon is! It never crashed! It landed safely and then the flaperon got removed... I'm telling ya...

[Motokid600]

It's still very strange. How is it that piece washed up before parts of luggage or a wallet or... Anything.

[MoeKitsune]

Logic. It doesn't exist sometimes.

[Mazon Del]

Logic. It doesn't exist sometimes.

1 + 1 = 2

1 + 2 = HL3 Confirmed

2 + 2 = MH370 was landed on the mun by Zerbals.

[smjjames]

It's still very strange. How is it that piece washed up before parts of luggage or a wallet or... Anything.

Could be pure chance.

Anyways, if theres one, theres more, so they should be looking in the area around Reunion island.

Edited July 30, 2015 by smjjames

[MinimumSky5]

It's still very strange. How is it that piece washed up before parts of luggage or a wallet or... Anything.

If something is floating, it doesn't matter if it weighs 10g or 10 tons, unless it can be affected by the wind, they will move at the same speed in currents.

[smjjames]

CNN said something about a possible piece of a suitcase found, but I'm skeptical of that one myself because, well, you know how much trash and junk there is out there in the ocean.

Anyhow, as I said, if theres one, theres probably more.

[Hcube]

and who are those "experts"?

Don't know what it is, but could just as well from the shape of it be a piece of a WW2 bomber or transport that's been sitting there for decades, hidden under foliage...

How about experts that work at Boeing and are able to recognize something that they have designed themselves ? Oh, and serial numbers on the flap. And i challenge you to find some foliage that can hide a 2*1m piece of wreckage on a beach of a small island for more than 70 years ! Last thing: bombers and transports over La Réunion? I kinda doubt it!

Anyway its not like finding this will solve the mystery of what happened on the aircraft and what caused the crash...

[Scotius]

If i'm not mistaken, those jagedy bits on the edges of the part are barnacles and other sea organisms. In warm, tropical waters floating obiects develop their own micro ecosystems rather quick. It's entirely possible smaller pieces of debris - like luggage and personal belongings, were simply weighted down by their 'passengers' and drowned before reaching the shore. Part on the photo, being essentially a big metal tank lasted longer due to having more buoyancy.

[smjjames]

It was floating just offshore anyway, not like it was far inland.

Also, nobody is saying or expecting that the piece of debris will solve the mystery completely.

Also, there's other islands in the Indian Ocean that the debris could have passed by, I wonder why nothing has shown up elsewhere?

[Glaran K'erman]

Given the fact that it's last known trajectory was a rough calculation at best, and the IMMENSE size of the Indian Ocean (just shy of 7.5x the sq mileage of the entire United States) it's still very reasonable we would have just found something now. This is no small place people.

[Nibb31]

I was sceptical at first, but the part number (not serial number) printed on it seems to confirm that it's a flaperon from a Boeing 777. Since MH370 was the only 777 gone missing anywhere near the Indian Ocean, there isn't really much doubt.

[softweir]

It's still very strange. How is it that piece washed up before parts of luggage or a wallet or... Anything.

The person who spotted the flaperon also found some luggage washed up on the same beach a couple of days previously. However on investigation there is nothing (no markings or anything of that nature) to prove it is from the plane, unlike the flaperon which will have a unique serial number stamped on it which can be traced to the plane it came from. There may have been several previous items of luggage that have been seen and ignored as rubbish: it took one well-informed individual who was in the right place at the right time and was prepared to spot something to find the flaperon and the luggage.

If there is enough publicity surrounding the luggage then maybe more items will be spotted and reported, and maybe something will have details that identify a passenger, or the plane itself - boarding passes, passports, that sort of thing.

[Brethern]

It's still very strange. How is it that piece washed up before parts of luggage or a wallet or... Anything.

Not really, everything you mentioned is stuck in a huge metal tube that would have hit the water going over 200MPH, where this part is on a stick protruding out from the metal tube, which would get sheared off and scattered before the interior stuff.

[Laie]

It's still very strange. How is it that piece washed up before parts of luggage or a wallet or... Anything.

Short of a wallet with readable papers, I can't imagine any personal belongings that could be traced to that plane. Parts of upholstery or a carpet might be identified, but how many people would recognize it as what it is? To almost everybody, it's just trash. Of which there is plenty.

[Nibb31]

Now that it's been established that this is from a Boeing 777, there have only been 5 crashes of this aircraft type: London, San Francisco, Egypt, Ukraine and MH370 in the Indian Ocean.

Edited August 4, 2015 by Nibb31

[KerikBalm]

and who are those "experts"?

Don't know what it is, but could just as well from the shape of it be a piece of a WW2 bomber or transport that's been sitting there for decades, hidden under foliage...

Even absent any numbers... while a layman may not know the difference, parts of various planes are built to different and specific dimensions.

You wont find a control surface on a WWII bomber that is the same size, shape, and construction as one of a 777.

The 777's wings aren't some "standard" wing part found on many other planes, and neither are the control surfaces on the wings.

It would be trivial to show that its from a 777.

[magnemoe]

It's still very strange. How is it that piece washed up before parts of luggage or a wallet or... Anything.

An huge metal part is easier to see, it will show up on a radar and is odiously strange.

Pieces of luggage or other small stuff is harder to see and will usually be assumed being random garbage unless its easy identified.

[Dodgey]

Nibb31 your pictures aren't working, for me atleast.

[Nibb31]

Nibb31 your pictures aren't working, for me atleast.

Fixed?

[Ignath]

Fixed?

Nope, not fixed. Looks like you left the /download in your link and your Certificate for your https:// server may be outdated or incorrect (I got a cert. error when I dug through page source, found the link and ran it).

Edit: And just after I typed this...working!