Possible Boeing 777 Part Found Off Mozambique
 

Just started getting Twitts on this,more here
Missing MH370: Possible Boeing 777 Part Found Off Mozambique, Sources Say - NBC News

So a "blogger" is searching the african coastline for parts of MH370 or who found it?

pics anyone ?

what is the relationship of this to the other long running thread, conflict or confirmation?

Judging by their use of the word 'doomed' those journalists obviously don't have English as a first language.:ugh:

Sensationalism ? Always doom & gloom :uhoh:

I was interested to learn that Malaysia is where Malaysian Airlines is based.

Who says CNN's journalism is crap?

777 horiz stabilizer
 

U.S. officials close to the investigation told CBS News the debris found several days ago is from a Boeing 777, the type of aircraft MH370 used.
MH370 search probes report of possible plane debris in Mozambique amid hunt for Malaysia Airlines jet - CBS News

so if it was on a sand bar what chances other bits stuck in it below waterline or passed it by to hit mainland Mozambique

Given the time involved and the known currents in the Indian Ocean it is likely that floating debris could now be arriving on the east coast of southern Africa.

It is unlikely, however, that such debris could yield any significant clues to the location and causes of the accident.

It could still be extremely useful if it could give a strong indication that the aircraft spiralled into the sea, or that it glided to a low-speed ditching under human control. In the latter case, for example, it's unlikely to be in the planned search area.

I'm not sure how that would be possible, though.

Picture of part found
 

https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/K5...8d668ef46cd8af

Would the fact that these two pieces have been found in reasonably close proximity to one another, perhaps increase the probability (if it is from the aircraft concerned) that the flaperon found earlier departed the structure at the same time as this part?


There was some prior speculation that the flaperon may have departed during flight, and drifted to La Reunion from a location separate from that of the main wreckage.


I expect either scenario remains plausible.

Some close up photographs posted on Twitter by Victor Iannello:


https://twitter.com/RadiantPhysics?lang=en-gb


If this is indeed the part, it shows a notable absence of barnacle colonisation compared to the flaperon.

The second find
 

If this turns out to be wreckage off MH370, then I would have thought it must follow that its point of recovery would be of crucial importance to the search efforts. It may result in a change of methodology from that based on the Inmarsat satellite data analysis to one with much greater emphasis on an analysis of Ocean surface currents in the Indian Ocean.

The first find, which has since been confirmed as belonging to MH370, was located on an island lying off the Eastern waters of Madagascar. This second find has been located off the Western waters of Madagascar. Both far North and West from the current search area.


"Indian Ocean Currents
Indian Ocean currents follow generally the pattern of the
Atlantic and Pacific but with differences caused principally
by the monsoons, the more limited extent of water in the
Northern Hemisphere, and by limited communication with
the Pacific Ocean along the eastern boundary. During the
northern hemisphere winter, the North Equatorial Current
and South Equatorial Current flow toward the west, with
the weaker, eastward Equatorial Counter current flowing
between them, as in the Atlantic and Pacific (but somewhat
south of the equator). But during the northern hemisphere
summer, both the North Equatorial Current and the
Equatorial Counter current are replaced by the South west
Monsoon Current, which flows eastward and
south eastward across the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal.
Near Sumatra, this current curves in a clockwise direction
and flows westward, augmenting the South Equatorial
Current, and setting up a clockwise circulation in the
northern part of the Indian Ocean. Off the coast of Somalia,
the Somali Current reverses direction during the northern
hemisphere summer with northward currents reaching
speeds of 5 knots or more. Twice a year, around May and
November, westerly winds along the equator result in an
eastward Equatorial Jet which feeds warm water towards
Sumatra.
As the South Equatorial Current approaches the coast of
Africa, it curves toward the southwest, part of it flowing
through the Mozambique Channel between Madagascar and
the mainland, and part flowing along the east coast of
Madagascar. At the southern end of this island the two join
to form the strong Agulhas Current, which is analogous to
the Gulf Stream. This current, when opposed by strong
winds from Southern Ocean storms, creates dangerously
large seas."
The full text of the above may be found at:

http://msi.nga.mil/MSISiteContent/St...N/Chapt-32.pdf

This may suggest a debris drift from North to South/South West. I cannot quite see how such a drift pattern would fit the current search location.

But one can never assume. By that reasoning, Virgin Airlines.... well.... :eek:

That Part looks remarkably clean for something that has been in the Ocean that long! And the finder already has a 370 Blog. Huum!
But then I'm a cynic.
KB

Thats not it. That's the Flaperon found on Reunion Island in July 2015.

https://twitter.com/RadiantPhysics/s...75801008373760

https://twitter.com/RadiantPhysics/s...16445420556288

https://twitter.com/RadiantPhysics/s...08219648036864

HLI0I3-6

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CckgKTnVAAAy65V.jpg




http://www.jet-tek.com/hi-lok-pins/hl1013.pdf


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

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

Sorry for error posting
 

Indeed and I stand to be corrected. The "No Step" part certainly looks very clean, but that could be caused by sand and the part's movements in waves.

Debris Location
 

From this link it looks like the new debris was found just off the coast of Mozambique near the town of Vilankulos and south of Benguerra Island.

http://www.society-magazine.fr/wp-co...3/Blaine-4.jpg

Paluma Sandbank
Latitude: 22° 2'57.87"S
Longitude: 35°30'22.81"E

No Step
 

Does anyone have a schematic showing all "No Step" locations on a B777?

VS-HL1013 HI LOK
 

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) )- :8

There is Nothing unique about that particular fastener oher than its material compared to others of high strength steel (s).

You've got 9 Markings on each horizontal stab.

I'd say it looks pretty credible from having flown it in the past, looking at the size of I'd be leaning towards the leading edge part of the horizontal stabiliser, more inner pieces towards the fin.

50:50?
 

Reports are emerging that this debris *may* be part of the leading edge of the right horizontal stabiliser: Link

Given that the previously-recovered flaperon is confirmed as coming from the right hand wing, it is overly-tempting to speculate as to what the aircraft might have been doing (or its orientation) when these detached.

Had this ('likely') 2nd bit of airframe come from the opposite side, such speculation would be harder to entertain: 50:50 chance or some other indication...

Dean

It may also be noteworthy that the Dec. 2015 JACC/ATSB report proposed that the right-hand engine would probably be the 1st to flame-out in a fuel-starvation scenario, with the left-hand engine delivering thrust for up to a further 15 minutes.

same font as MH17

mh17-onderzoek-8.jpg

As someone mentioned, this recent piece has no barnacle encrustation. You could speculate an inflight breakup, and this piece falling on the land, and not spending any time in the sea.


A major coincidence though, with the blogger finding the piece.

" falling on the land, and not spending any time in the sea"

Or washing up relatively quickly, and going undiscovered until now...though that seems unlikely given the proximity of the two sites.

Victor Iannello's twitter feed linked in susier's post has a recent CNN phone interview with Blaine Alan Gibson where Mr. Gibson is not overly convinced that his discovery is a part of the missing MH370 aircraft.

I find it more than a little suspicious that Gibson charters a boat in Africa to look for MH370 debris and the boat owner finds this apparent aircraft piece himself and calls Gibson to come see. Is this perhaps a piece from a recent African crash that was placed on the sandbar to be 'discovered' by the visitor?

Gibson was apparently on the boat, which he had hired. The artifact was first seen by the boat's owner, according to this Google Translate version of part of the link posted by jfill, 2nd Mar 2016, 21:22 :

MH370 : un nouveau débris au Mozambique ? | Society Magazine

" 'I was traveling to Mozambique, he recounts today for the first time in Maputo I took the opportunity to say: why not not rent a boat and take a day to inspect the coast?'

Hours after his departure with three Mozambicans, the owner of the boat, 'Junior', calls Blaine. 'He pointed a finger something. It was a piece of plastic, light enough. Above, it is registered NO STEP '. The piece, triangular, measuring 94 centimeters wide and 60 centimeters high. It seems, says Blaine Gibson, come 'from the wing of an airplane.' "

At least someone is actively looking in likely places wreckage will wash up.

I wonder if that is a smaller fragment of a larger piece that may have broken up in surf?

Gibson sounds pretty skeptical in the CNN interview:

In the true journalistic tradition of keeping an open mind ;) the CNN headline is 'MH370: Likely piece of doomed plane found, U.S. official says'.

MH370: Likely piece of doomed plane found - CNN.com

Can any of you aeronauts shed light on why the media are typically referring to this new debris as being from the 'fixed leading edge'?

I thought the entire horizontal tailplane (aka 'horizontal stabiliser') was trimmable (i.e. a THS).

Dean

PS: No jokes please about it once being 'broken' & now 'fixed', thanks...

I'm sure the material, the remaining fastener as well as the position and spacing of the fastener holes would enable any expert to uniquely identify the aircraft model with no ambiguity. Similarly any marine biologist should be able to confirm or deny whether the piece spent a significant time in seawater or not.

Unfortunately even if it does get confirmed that it is a T7 part, and by inference almost 100% certain that it is from MH370, it gives almost no further information compared to what we already knew from the flaperon (except corroborating that evidence).

Deanm,

The reference to fixed leading edge is to the permanently fastened panel sections (with hi-loks) as opposed to the removable access panels.

On the B777 there are fixed fiberglass panels between the stab leading edge and the torsion box; these are what they are referring to.

Not sure if the panels are fiberglass with aluminium honeycomb though. I thought the B777 doesn't use this type of honeycomb.

Can anyone shed light on the panel structure?

Peabody

Thanks PB - I think it might be useful to identify just where this 'No Step' region is located, but from your clarification (& if the media are using 'fixed' accurately [!!]), it sounds like it originates close to the aft fuselage, rather (say) mid-span.

'I Spy' (post #23) asked "Does anyone have a schematic showing all "No Step" locations on a B777?"

I second that.

Dean

Deanm,

Generally the entire area outside the main torsion box is "no step".

Peabody

BBC showing this http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/660/cps...ozambique1.jpg

PB - understood, but the 'No Step' stenciling provides a convenient physical locator tag.

Dean