Flaperon washes up on Reunion Island
 

Similitudes incroyables entre le flaperon d'un #B777 et le débris retrouvé ce matin à #LaReunion... #MH370 ? http://t.co/GDkzRLwi2h

Seems a piece of flap or similar has washed up on Reunion Island. Tweet says the similarities to a 777 part are incredible.

Thoughts?

Hi,

Very interesting and can't wait for the result of the investigation about this wing part ....
Indeed ... it can be from a 777 ...

Regards.

even more interesting whether it has traceable serial numbers...

Could it be from the Yemenia 313 some years ago?

There are several photographs of this debris at A-t-on retrouvé les premiers débris du MH370 ? | Sécurité aérienne et peur en avion

The part looks like a composite flaperon with damage more consistent with a slower speed impact.

Another article + images
 

They should recheck the area surrounding where the pings were heard. There wasn't enough mapping done there. It is highly possible to have a distorted frequency towards the end of battery life.

NTSB simulation plots based on Great Circle Track where assuming the FMC would guide the autopilot system to fly. But with the aircraft had made a few turns, most likely the pilots had reverted to MCP direct input to the autopilot system where the track is magnetic be it on TRK SEL or HDG SEL, is subjected to high magnetic variation further down south. Thus, when the magnetic track being plotted would be a curve towards East. But a curve cannot satisfy the handshakes. If the handshakes are correct, this magnetic curve line can be "straighten" by lifting the tail end Northwards while maintaining all the handshakes relationship with the satellite position.

Just imagine the capital letter "T" with the handshakes numbering from the left to right, the position of the satellite is at the bottom of the vertical shaft and the letter T has fallen 90 degrees to the your right. Now you have handshake no.6&7 at the right hand bottom, you are lifting the "T" pivoting the bottom of the shaft to the satellite position. Try lift it until no.7 handshake ends up in less than 5 degrees variation. Then you will agree they have been looking too far down all this while.

Welcome any expert comment.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...Ocean_Gyre.png

Based on where it is believed that the aircraft came down, and the combined drift / flow of the West Australian Current and the South Equatorial Current, Reunion Island is a reasonably likely place for something to wash up.

Will be interested to see if they can match this to the hull number.

Another depiction of ocean currents.

Thanks Severe Clear, that Telegraph article shows a diagram of a B-777 flaperon next to a photo of the flaperon. Looks convincing.

Flaperon washes up on Reunion Island
 

Just wondering: assuming (big if) it can be traced to mh370 - would that give us any further clue as of where to search the aircraft, except somewhere in the Indian Ocean?!

It would seem to indicate that the search is probably in the right general area. As mentioned above, the current from that area should eventually take any floating debris through the area where this was found.

Beyond that, I'd imagine the variation of current and debris behaviour is so large that you couldn't really improve the accuracy of the current search.

Edit: I guess one possibility is that the damage might help determine how the aircraft hit the sea, which might help reduce the search area. For example, whether it hit in an uncontrolled impact, or whether it might have been flown down by someone in the cabin. One of the big issues for the search is not knowing how far from the final 'ping' the aircraft might have flown before it came down.

If I was a betting man.. I would be putting my money on South African Airways Flight 295.

The piece looks way too short to be a flaperon from a B777. From the second photo in Telegraph article, it's at most 2.5 m long. B777's inboard flap is at least 5 m long. Either it got snapped in half (doubtful, since both edges look straight), or it's not from a 777.

Yemenia's Airbus 310 flap would be closer in terms of dimensions.

Flaperon washes up on Reunion Island
 

295 was almost 30 years ago.. That piece of wreckage did not stay that long in water!

Based purely on rough approximations from pictures of 777s, it looks about the right size to me. The flaperon appears to cover less than 1/10 of the length of the wing, which puts it under 3m long.

Also, from the damage, it would presumably have to be composite rather than metal? That might eliminate some other possibilities.

As the Telegraph article notes, the piece does not look like it has been in the water for six years (Yemenia was in June 2009.)

777 flaperon is 2.4m * 1.6m

fits.

Boeing 777 - So fliegt man richtig - FlightX.net - das größte deutschsprachige Forum der Flugsimulation

This piece has been a maximum of 2 years in the water.
Ressemblance to the drawing is indeed stunning.

Still doesn't help us get closer to the CVR, FDR and cause.

Agree it doesn't help locate FDR or CVR but it would put to rest at least some of the conspiracy theories.

The object in the picture doesn't look like 5 m long. More like 2 m. I was thinking maybe it's part of the elevator.

Seems rather that the authorities would be able to take a bow, as this debris would support their working hypothesis of a resting place somewhere in the Indian Ocean. Does not help find the rest of the plane, but validates the Intelsat calculations.

One report said it had a "reference number" on the item, BB670. Maybe a number from the part ID plate?

I don't think this one piece would be enough to suggest anything.

Flap Damage
 

Based on the damage to the edge of the flap in the following picture (and because the apparent flap is the only piece of recovered wreckage), it seems the flap may have been extended when it made contact with the water. Did a controlled landing on the water take place?

http://blog-peuravion.fr/wp-content/...4-12589277.png

OK, I got mixed up. The inboard flap is 5 m long, the flaperon (piece FCC here http://www.ainonline.com/sites/defau...s/777xwind.jpg) is indeed under 3 m and the right size for the piece of wreckage they found.

Hi,

http://i.imgur.com/CuRFrx8.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/Zyh72MC.png

What you want more ? seems clear ....

Regards.

Serial Numbers and other identifying marks are not really necessary are they? If the part is conclusively identified as from a 777 then it has to be MH370, there are no other relevant hull losses. Some news outlets are stating that Boeing personnel are on their way to Reunion, which would not be happening if there had been any definite evidence excluding MH370. But anybody want to take a bet that if it is from a 777, within hours there'll be suggestions that it was intentionally planted?

Seems consistent with flap down controlled ditching. Mind you AF447 rudder was found in similar condition.

Will it be possible to backtrack the currents to narrow the search area?

The flaperon on a 777 is an inboard (IE high speed) aileron. Not a high lift device such as a flap. Its called a flaperon because when flaps are selected down it droops with the flaps but can still modulate up and down to control roll.

That looks like a flaperon to me, and unless there are more missing 777s that we don't know about. Its a good bet its from MH370.

B777 flaperon or aileron part?
 

The various photos of the piece found appear to show a part more rectangular than a 777 flaperon. The part also appears to be slightly tapered, unlike a flaperon. Maybe it is part of the outer aileron.

If this turns out to be true, it is big news. Finally a trace is found.

A worrying theory that has not been widely publicized, came from US (and other's) intelligence suggesting the aircraft was stolen and was awaiting future use as a part of a terrorist plot. This discovery could allay those fears, particularly if, with newfound resolve, redoubled efforts result in locating the missing aircraft.

very likely 777 flaperon
 

The engineering drawings put the length of the flaperon at 7 feet. It is tapered from narrow at INBD end to wider at O/B end. The data plate which would have the serial number is missing from the INBD end of flaperon. The composite design uses several parts and fasteners plus nutplates. There should be visible part numbers once some panels can be removed. The entire trailing edge wedge of the flaperon is missing. This is the R/H flaperon.

It would not be. I saw part of an engine cowling from the Helderberg that drifted ashore some eighteen months after it went down off Mauritius (next island to Reunion) and washed up in Natal, South Africa. It already had barnacles and other marine growth on it from its journey across the Indian Ocean. After 30 years - no way.

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/...s_3391693b.jpg

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/...r_3391483b.jpg

Very obvious a B777 flaperon (the smaller one, not downfolded, in the middle on the photo below)

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...psBrake777.JPG

very likely 777
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=BE&v=qvQSllUyti0
see from 0:37

Drift of buoys since march 8th 2014
 

Doesn't seem to help much.

Ship Status Report: callsign 56568: ? sailwx.info
http://s27.postimg.org/mb5q0m1xf/55b942a3_3236_19e.png

Buoy 53592 ? sailwx.info
http://s10.postimg.org/9a6edgfh5/55b94389_5d4c_af.png

rz3 - They are AMM / AIPC drawings for the 777. They are authentic, and they match the photographs very closely.

Marine growth accumulates surprisingly quickly. If anything, this seems fairly clean for something that is supposed to have been in the water for over a year. It is certainly not debris from some long past accident.

If the piece is confirmed as part of MH370, a study of the sea life, that have attached themselves, might provide some further clues.