Originally Posted by
CayleysCoachman
Leaving aside the ‘wreckage’, I’ll start by examining the material it’s sitting on or embedded in. Why is it slightly depressed into that material in the first photo? It seems to have been placed into that substrate very recently; why? Where was it before? How was it moved? Why does the second photo substrate look so different (yes, simply white balance might account)? Why wasn’t it evidenced (photographed, measured) before being moved? My (extensive) experience teaches me to be sceptical when questions like these are the first ones springing to mind.
Apparently the item had been found by a local fisherman on the beach, taken home and put to use as a make-shift table/washing board. Some time later it was subsequently brought to the attention of someone who thought it might have been part of the missing Malaysia Airlines flight. The item was then taken back to the beach where the local found it and photographed. So, yes, it most assuredly has been placed into that sand just prior to being photographed, and then turned over and photographed again.
The photograph showing the edge of the item was taken with it on a wooden bench.
The documentation of the item and chain-of-custody are pretty shabby.