This was published 9 years ago
MH370 Reunion wreckage confirmed - what we know and what we don't
By Angus Holland and Rachel Browne
- Search for MH370: full coverage
- Malaysia confirms Reunion wreckage from MH370
- MH370: The story so far
Questions still surround the discovery of a piece of aircraft on Reunion Island, now confirmed to have come from the missing Malaysian airliner MH370. Here's what we know and what we don't:
1. What washed up?
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has confirmed the debris is from the missing aircraft after it was examined by aviation experts in France. It is a piece of wing called a "flaperon".
2. How big is the part?
A French official said that the object was about 9 feet (2.7 metres) long and 3 feet (one metre) wide, and that it appeared to have been in the water for a very long time. You can see the scale in these photos:
3. Where does that come from on a plane?
It's a control surface from a wing: a moving part that combines aspects of a wing spoiler and a regular flap.
4. Where was the flaperon found?
A team of ecologists came across it while cleaning a beach on Reunion Island, which is off the coast of Africa between Madagascar and Mauritius in the Indian Ocean:
5. Who originally made the connection to MH370?
According to Wired.com, a French aircraft security expert named Xavier Tytelman, who was sent the photos by a journalist on Reunion. He tweeted his analysis with the words: "Incredible similarities between the flaperon a # B777 and debris found this morning":
6. How did the debris end up that far from the possible crash site?
While the search area has focussed on an area of Southern Ocean off Perth, it has actually been predicted that parts could wash up on the other side of the ocean. Dr David Griffin, the CSIRO oceanographer who heads the MH370 drift model task force, says ocean currents, prevailing winds and wave direction are consistent with the discovery. It would have taken 16 months to travel approximately 5000 kms:
7. How did it travel that far?
It floated, says CSIRO's Dr Griffin. It would have been virtually impossible for it to move underwater: it would either have sunk and got stuck, or floated along on the surface. Debris that couldn't float would not have been able to travel that distance.
8. Will this make it easy to predict where the rest of the plane could be?
Unfortunately not. Firstly, it's likely most of the debris sank and is on the bottom of the ocean. Secondly, the currents are not easily predicted, and debris is also affected by wind and waves. The area is known as the Indian Ocean Gyre, where the currents have an anti-clockwise motion, moving towards Australia in the south and away from us in the north:
9. What can the flaperon tell us about the fate of MH370?
The damage to the flaperon and even the location of the barnacles that have formed on it might provide clues as to how the plane crashed. Unfortunately, the chance of pinpointing the ultimate cause of the crash is unlikely until the black box is found.
10. Will this end some of the wilder theories about what happened to the plane?
Not yet. Some are speculating that it was dumped there for some mysterious reason. There is also speculation about what the shells on the wing say about how long it has been in the water.
11. What happens now?
The search continues for submerged wreckage and people are combing beaches at Reunion Island for more floating debris. Aviation experts in Toulouse, France will continue their examination of the flaperon for further clues about the plane's fate.