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Wing flap washed up in Tanzania found to be part of MH370

A large piece of aircraft wing found in Tanzania in June was confirmed last night as being from missing flight MH370.

‘Ongoing analysis’: Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigators examine the wing flap from MH370.
‘Ongoing analysis’: Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigators examine the wing flap from MH370.

A large piece of aircraft wing found in Tanzania in June and confirmed last night by Australian investigators as having come from the ill-fated Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 could unravel the mystery of whether its disappearance was a result of mechanical failure or ­deliberate hijacking.

It is only the second piece of ­debris investigators have been able to conclusively say came from the flight after French judicial authorities confirmed in September last year that a piece of flaperon found on Reunion Island was also from the aircraft.

Four pieces are deemed ­“almost certainly” to have come from the missing plane.

Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigators said they had been able to confirm the inboard section of a Boeing 777 right outboard flap had come from the MH370 plane by matching serial numbers on the piece of ­debris with those of the ­­9M-MRO Boeing 777 aircraft that ­disappeared 45 minutes after take-off from Kuala Lumpur on March 8, 2014.

“A date stamp associated with one of the part numbers indicated manufacture on January 23, 2002, which was consistent with the May 31, 2002, delivery date for 9M-MRO aircraft,” the ATSB ­update said yesterday.

Significantly, the piece is now being examined to determine whether it holds any clue as to whether the connecting flaperon was extended at the end of its flight.

This could indicate that there was someone in control of the plane at the time it hit the water somewhere in the southern Indian Ocean.

“This information may contribute to an increased understanding of end of flight scenarios,” the ATSB statement said.

In recent weeks, details of simulated flights extracted from MH370 pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah’s computer showing he plotted courses deep into the Indian Ocean a month before the MH370 flight reignited speculation the disappearance of the plane and all 239 people on board was a result of pilot murder/suicide.

Some air crash investigation specialists have also pointed to the relatively intact flaperon found in Reunion Island as an indicator that the plane glided rather than crashed into the ocean, suggesting someone was at the controls and extended the flaperon for landing.

Despite 2½ years of searching and investigations no evidence has been uncovered that could conclusively prove either theory.

ATSB spokesman Daniel O’Malley said yesterday: “There are elements of (the debris) that may give an understanding of the position of the flap at the time to determine how the aircraft entered the water.

“This is not merely a case of having identified a piece of MH370 and now we are done with it. It is an ongoing analysis.”

Investigators are also examining several other pieces of debris found in Mozambique, South Africa and Rodrigues Island, a territory of Mauritius.

Australia is leading the hunt for the missing plane about 2600km off the coast of Perth after satellite data indicated the plane went down somewhere in that area.

A search zone of 120,000sq km was expected to be concluded in December and the search ­suspended pending critical new evidence.

Amanda Hodge
Amanda HodgeSouth East Asia Correspondent

Amanda Hodge is The Australian’s South East Asia correspondent, based in Jakarta. She has lived and worked in Asia since 2009, covering social and political upheaval from Afghanistan to East Timor. She has won a Walkley Award, Lowy Institute media award and UN Peace award.

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Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/wing-flap-washed-up-in-tanzania-found-to-be-part-of-mh370/news-story/a08b182a1a1c867c9414b9eab02b2d8c