Possible MH-370 debris found on Reunion Island?

originally posted by: RoScoLaz4
if the currents had taken this piece of wreckage to where it was found, wouldn't there have been other significant debris found in the same area, around the same time? seems odd that only 1 piece would find it's way there alone.

It appears to have been burned by the beach cleaners!

MH370: ''Plane seat'' found washed up on Reunion Island three months ago

Yet Mr Ferrier had no idea of the significance of the object. Flotsam and jetsam washed up are part of his everyday life on the inhospitable beach, where nobody dares to enter the fierce waves and shark-infested waters.
“I found a couple of suitcases too, around the same time, full of things,” he said, almost in passing.
What did you do with them?
“I burnt them,” he said, pointing to the pile of ashes lying on the boulders. “That’s my job. I collect rubbish, and burn it.
“I could have found many things that belonged to the plane, and burnt them, without realising.”

.....


He also saw the wing which washed up on Wednesday – although in May, the barnacles encrusting its side were still alive. By the time it washed ashore again this week, the crustaceans were dead. “Like the seat, I didn’t know what it was. “I sat on it. I was fishing for macabi (bonefish) and used it as a table. I really didn’t pay it much attention – until I saw it on the news.” His story is backed up by that of another local woman, named only as Isabelle, who spotted the same object while walking on the beach in May, accompanied by her 10-year-old son. "It was the beginning of the holidays - around May 10," she told local news website Zinfos974 "I was walking with my son, Krishna. Then from a rock on which we were standing, he saw an object and shouted: 'Mum, that looks like the wing of a plane!'" Krishna then jumped on what looked like a suitcase. He managed to prise it open, and then spotted another suitcase buried in the black sand.

Telegraph Link

a reply to: tommyjo

Your link doesn't work.

originally posted by: tommyjo
“That’s my job. I collect rubbish, and burn it.
“I could have found many things that belonged to the plane, and burnt them, without realising.”

It's really quite idiotically mundane, isn't it?

I suppose if you're a bit of a simple person, living in a little community on an island like that, you don't think that your little home is going to be involved in anything like this.

I have to say that if I were there and saw these things I would at least be wondering where they came from, but would any of us necessarily consider that they could have come from a plane that disappeared a year earlier thousands of miles away? This was potentially just a blip on the news for these people, so why would they consider that they would be finding these things on their beach, from that plane, a year later?

At least they're now looking through everything they find and really considering what it is and where it came from. Hopefully they can find more evidence and ultimately clues to what actually happened to that plane.

a reply to: Rocker2013

It's really quite idiotically mundane, isn't it?

Yes that whole story is unbelievable.

originally posted by: YouPeople
a reply to: tommyjo

Your link doesn't work.

www.telegraph.co.uk...

Not sure what to make of this, so does this now mean that with the ID plate not being present that being able to give a 100% positive ID to this component is going to take much longer? and what methods will they use?.

If it was indeed found in May rather than a few days ago then what is the opinion of that item being able to travel the distance on the currents in the time frame since it went missing and landing on Reunion?. Or will the general consensus be that it is far more likely that it actually crashed further west in the Indian ocean?.

Does anyone have more information re the beach cleaner that found the seat?, I would like to know if he means seat structure or just cushion as I cannot image a plane seat (structure) being able to float that distance.

Not sure why they would have a beach cleaner anyway as it seems to be a stone beach I cannot image many people will go there to sunbathe or walk the dog.

"Reunion" Island could not be a better fit for this situation if it is proven from MH370..

a reply to: slider1982

It'll be a little more difficult, but really all they have to do is determine it's off a 777 and it almost has to be from 370. Basic measurements will tell if it's off a Triple or not.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: slider1982

It'll be a little more difficult, but really all they have to do is determine it's off a 777 and it almost has to be from 370. Basic measurements will tell if it's off a Triple or not.

Granted I agree that as proven it is off a 777 the logical explanation is to say its from MH370 but would there be hard evidence such as serial numbers or parts index number to make it 100% confirmed?. I simply say this as the story is evolving all the time and we now learn that this part has been lying around for at least a few months after the beach cleaner found it and I half expect to find the next add on to be well it was dropped off here by some people in a small boat who where going to Madagascar who stated they found it 400nm out to sea.

a reply to: slider1982

There will be individual part numbers that they may be able to track back to when the part was created and track to which aircraft it went on, but they'll all be on internal pieces.

a reply to: Zaphod58

There will be individual part numbers that they may be able to track back to when the part was created and track to which aircraft it went on, but they'll all be on internal pieces.

I was wondering if they could find the total number of 777's out there and see if any other has crashed in that area?

I mean it's not like a 777 could just crash and we not know about it...or could it?

originally posted by: tsurfer2000h
a reply to: Zaphod58

There will be individual part numbers that they may be able to track back to when the part was created and track to which aircraft it went on, but they'll all be on internal pieces.

I was wondering if they could find the total number of 777's out there and see if any other has crashed in that area?

I mean it's not like a 777 could just crash and we not know about it...or could it?

I was hoping it would be the case re stamped numbers, Does any military for any country use a 777 variant as I would think that would be the only other option re 777 crashes that are not well known about. And I understand this is the only commercial 777 incident that was a total lose.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Yeah and do they sell these flaps individually as replacement parts with always a few laying around?

a reply to: tsurfer2000h

There have been four 777 hull losses related to crashes, and one they had to write off due to a cockpit fire while prepping to depart at the gate.

The four losses were British Airways in London after ice blocked a fuel line resulting in a power rollback on final approach, Asiana in San Francisco after the crew blew the approach and had too high a descent rate, this one, and MH17 that was shot down.

The cockpit fire highlighted a manufacturing issue that allowed chafing near the crew oxygen line that could lead to a very intense fire that could burn through the hull.

a reply to: slider1982

There are no military 777s anywhere in use.

a reply to: Zaphod58

There have been four 777 hull losses related to crashes, and one they had to write off due to a cockpit fire while prepping to depart at the gate.

SO nothing in that area.

That does seem to help eliminate any chance this was from a different 777 than MH 370.

But I guess we have to wait and see what they find.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: tsurfer2000h

There have been four 777 hull losses related to crashes, and one they had to write off due to a cockpit fire while prepping to depart at the gate.

The four losses were British Airways in London after ice blocked a fuel line resulting in a power rollback on final approach, Asiana in San Francisco after the crew blew the approach and had too high a descent rate, this one, and MH17 that was shot down.

The cockpit fire highlighted a manufacturing issue that allowed chafing near the crew oxygen line that could lead to a very intense fire that could burn through the hull.


a reply to: slider1982

There are no military 777s anywhere in use.

Ok, thank you for the information..

a reply to: tsurfer2000h

No, and if a flaperon separated in flight it would have been news on several of the sites I visit regularly.

a reply to: slider1982

There was, briefly, a proposal to build 777s as tanker aircraft for the USAF, but their ramp footprint was too big.

a reply to: Zaphod58

So do you also have an answer to my question?

a reply to: YouPeople

I didn't see it when you posted it. They're ordered as needed usually. They rarely need to replace the entire flaperon, unless it's damaged. The actuators and lines inside them are the usual failure points, and you can access and replace those with it on the wing.

There are some that are waiting to be installed on new aircraft that are "laying around", and there are a handful of 777s in storage that theoretically could be used, but the ones in storage would be obvious and the manufacturing end would have to account for the extra parts used and cost behind building one.

originally posted by: auroraaus

originally posted by: mortex

So the police on some far flung remote island are experts now and can call it straight away how long it's been in the water?
You'd expect it would show signs of rust or corrosion....after all, it's been floating around in salt water for nearly 18 month.

I'm not sure how much rust would be on the flaperon, I assumed it's mostly made of carbon fibre but ye olde Zaphod would know a bit more.

*holds out mug of coffee*

The 777 flaperon has a high percentage of composites in its construction.