Possible Boeing 777 Part Found Off Mozambique
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For those who wonder what the VS stands for - the answer is VOI-SHAN a long time supplier of aerospace standard fasteners.
The HL1013- 6 means simply a 6AL-4V TITANIUM FASTENER 6/32 DIA ( 3/16 )
Thousands of those in 3/16 to 3/8 diameter have been used on most every model and manufacturer of airplanes or missiles for decades. They are batch inspected and certified, and carry NO serial or batch number.
I mention this only to tamp down the ' can we trace that fastener to a particular part or airplane or location ?"
The answer is NO (absent ID of surrounding part(s) )-
(s).
The HL1013- 6 means simply a 6AL-4V TITANIUM FASTENER 6/32 DIA ( 3/16 )
Thousands of those in 3/16 to 3/8 diameter have been used on most every model and manufacturer of airplanes or missiles for decades. They are batch inspected and certified, and carry NO serial or batch number.
I mention this only to tamp down the ' can we trace that fastener to a particular part or airplane or location ?"
The answer is NO (absent ID of surrounding part(s) )-

(s).
Each metal batch is close but not identical. Analysis of trace elements can be compared to fasteners coming from same batch - assuming a sister plane used them and one can be removed for comparison

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A good photo showing the T7 HS upper surface with the location of the NO STEP labels:
Photos: Boeing 777-31H/ER Aircraft Pictures | Airliners.net
Photos: Boeing 777-31H/ER Aircraft Pictures | Airliners.net
Here is a full resolution shot of the stab only.

P.S. No copying/distributing without my permission, thanks! Contact via PM if necessary.

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Answer is "maybe"


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But after splittting the " Boeing batch "and being sent to renton or everett or part of the batch being sent to a supplier(s) they are temporairly stored in the closest plant/assembly area before being daily put into ' nearby' to assembly rotobins- replenished at least daily or every other day dependinng on parts, assembly, production rates, etc. Some of the same fasteners in that rotobin ( for example at the ' bottom ' ) may well be three to six months old for a given model.
So a chem/sprectro analysis may well show ' family brother" fasteners of that size- batch on most any part of any plane going back from weeks to months just at Boeing- and possibly any other aerospace company in the world.
IOW- as I first stated, absent a unique flaw in that fastener or out of tolerance composition, tracing that fastener to a ' sister' ship has a VERY low but not quite ZERO probibility of being useful.



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Assuming this latest find is also from MH370, hard to imagine both bits ascended
from 15,000` or so depths. More likely these separated on impact with water. On such a premise there must be other debris afloat. What are the chances that just these two bits came off and the rest went down all in one piece. Perhaps time to call it a day, get heads out of the water, stick specs back on and start using eyeball MK1.
from 15,000` or so depths. More likely these separated on impact with water. On such a premise there must be other debris afloat. What are the chances that just these two bits came off and the rest went down all in one piece. Perhaps time to call it a day, get heads out of the water, stick specs back on and start using eyeball MK1.

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Further to my previous
with thanks to dn88 and the caveat "IF THIS IS FROM A 777"
after scaling to the 35 foot semi span of the HS, the recovered item appears to match a position immediately adjacent to the fuselage.
TR
after scaling to the 35 foot semi span of the HS, the recovered item appears to match a position immediately adjacent to the fuselage.
TR

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Good call, Bandy.
In another life, I used to be a State Govt. forensic scientist.
Paint matching is absolutely routine.
Examples include paint fragments recovered from a suspect's clothes with that from crime scene window frames or sills, paint particles identified in car collisions (with buildings, other vehicles, victims of hit-&-runs) etc.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micro-spectrophotometry
Should be entirely possible.
Dean
(Of course, the flaperon and wing may have been painted at different times or locations, but the paint batches involved should be traceable - they would paint a whole bunch of flaperons at the same time with the same spectroscopically-identifiable batch)
In another life, I used to be a State Govt. forensic scientist.
Paint matching is absolutely routine.
Examples include paint fragments recovered from a suspect's clothes with that from crime scene window frames or sills, paint particles identified in car collisions (with buildings, other vehicles, victims of hit-&-runs) etc.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micro-spectrophotometry
Should be entirely possible.
Dean
(Of course, the flaperon and wing may have been painted at different times or locations, but the paint batches involved should be traceable - they would paint a whole bunch of flaperons at the same time with the same spectroscopically-identifiable batch)
Last edited by deanm; 3rd Mar 2016 at 22:29. Reason: Added detail

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Couldn't we compare it to pics of the MH17?
Good zoom up here:

and here:

overview:

All these pictures originates from Jeroen Akkermans wealth of photograpic information on Flickr.
Good zoom up here:

and here:

overview:

All these pictures originates from Jeroen Akkermans wealth of photograpic information on Flickr.
Last edited by MrSnuggles; 3rd Mar 2016 at 23:04. Reason: pix didn't show!

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Snuggy - there seems to be a consensus emerging that Teddy & NiclasB have (in the words of another) 'nailed it' (if you are referring to the airframe location of the 'NO STEP' debris).
Dean
Dean

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deanm
That might very well be the case. I just wanted to give new ideas into the mix.
The found part is apparently compared to an Ethiopian airframe - are we sure the markings are the same across all airframes? Same font?
Just wanted to show how a very definitively Malaysian B777 was marked. For future reference if nothing else.
That might very well be the case. I just wanted to give new ideas into the mix.
The found part is apparently compared to an Ethiopian airframe - are we sure the markings are the same across all airframes? Same font?
Just wanted to show how a very definitively Malaysian B777 was marked. For future reference if nothing else.

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deanm
That might very well be the case. I just wanted to give new ideas into the mix.
The found part is apparently compared to an Ethiopian airframe - are we sure the markings are the same across all airframes? Same font?
Just wanted to show how a very definitively Malaysian B777 was marked. For future reference if nothing else.
That might very well be the case. I just wanted to give new ideas into the mix.
The found part is apparently compared to an Ethiopian airframe - are we sure the markings are the same across all airframes? Same font?
Just wanted to show how a very definitively Malaysian B777 was marked. For future reference if nothing else.
Dean
