Article

2015-07-29 Southeast Asia

MH370: wreckage found on Reunion 'matches Malaysia Airlines flight'

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by Hupineger Glomomp52169 2015-07-29 13:17|| || Front Page|| [11133 views ] Top

#1 Not too far from Diego Garcia, though.

Posted by Mullah Richard 2015-07-29 15:02|| 2015-07-29 15:02|| Front Page Top

#2 Don't believe that it would have 'landed' in Diego Garcia, though.

Might have gotten 'close'.

Posted by Mullah Richard 2015-07-29 15:04|| 2015-07-29 15:04|| Front Page Top

#3 It is about 1470 miles from Diego Garcia to Saint Denis in Reunion. That's about 3 hours flying time for a B777.

Posted by Steve White 2015-07-29 15:42|| 2015-07-29 15:42|| Front Page Top

#4 if the flaperon does indeed belong to MH370...

Flaperon? Is that an aviation term like propellerator or wheel-thingie?

Posted by SteveS 2015-07-29 15:56|| 2015-07-29 15:56|| Front Page Top

#5 So if I get stuck in an airport soon, this is all I'll be seeing on CNN the next five days, right?

Snark of the day.

Posted by Raj 2015-07-29 15:56|| 2015-07-29 15:56|| Front Page Top

#6 I was just wondering, Dr. Steve. If an aircraft (of some size) turned off its transponder, approached DG from the northeast and wouldn't answer the radio calls, what the response by the folks there might be?

Would they talk about it, given the subsequent coverage and furor?

Currents in the Indian Ocean travel counter-clockwise, but don't have time to figure 'sub-surface object current travel times' this afternoon. Don't think this item would have been on the water's surface during its journey, but don't believe it hugged the bottom, either.

Posted by Mullah Richard 2015-07-29 16:51|| 2015-07-29 16:51|| Front Page Top

#7 How hard would it be to fake a chunk of wreckage?

Posted by Anguper Hupomosing9418 2015-07-29 17:00|| 2015-07-29 17:00|| Front Page Top

#8 supposedly Boeing peeps are flying there to check serial numbers

Posted by Frank G 2015-07-29 17:08|| 2015-07-29 17:08|| Front Page Top

#9 Flaperons are a mix of Flap and Aileron to allow these control surfaces to improve flight efficiency

Posted by Thrique Darling of the Munchkins7927 2015-07-29 17:44|| 2015-07-29 17:44|| Front Page Top

#10 Yes the serial numbers can be checked to see if it is part of the aircraft. What they know is that the piece does come from a Boeing 777 and the wear fits the timeline of the missing plane. If it isn't part of the missing plane then the bigger mystery is what plane lost it?

Posted by DarthVader 2015-07-29 17:44|| 2015-07-29 17:44|| Front Page Top

#11 How easy is it to fake serial numbers on airplane parts?

Posted by Anguper Hupomosing9418 2015-07-29 18:49|| 2015-07-29 18:49|| Front Page Top

#12 Unlikely - numbers should be where they normally are stamped/etched and not ground down and restamped over/moved. You'd also have to fake longterm sea exposure, etc.

Posted by Frank G 2015-07-29 19:01|| 2015-07-29 19:01|| Front Page Top

#13 "You'd also have to fake longterm sea exposure, etc." That wouldn't be particularly hard if this was a planned job.

Posted by Anguper Hupomosing9418 2015-07-29 19:03|| 2015-07-29 19:03|| Front Page Top

#14 I think it would be incredibly difficult. Every piece with a tracking ID would have to have the same ID match with the construction records. The metallurgy would have to match. The damage would have to match up with previous investigation records to point the investigation towards whatever wanted conclusion. Then the evidence would have to be transported all the way over there and deposited, as different oceans would have different dissolved mineral compositions temperatures wildlife etc. This would all have to be done quickly and quietly in order to start the oceanic exposure damage.

If there were to be a cover up for whatever reason, I'd think it would be much easier to currupt the investigation, but even a small group like that would have its issues, nevermind the slew of people necessary to correctly manufacture and covertly transport such a large and precise item.

Posted by swksvolFF 2015-07-29 19:48|| 2015-07-29 19:48|| Front Page Top

#15 @#14: Thank you. I was beginning to believe I was losing my mind.

Posted by Blossom Unains5562 2015-07-29 21:00|| 2015-07-29 21:00|| Front Page Top

#16 If it does match the downed plane, I would follow Occam's Razor for each story. It being planted is just too messy with too many variables, especially since the story has pretty much fallen off the western radar by now.

Posted by DarthVader 2015-07-29 21:04|| 2015-07-29 21:04|| Front Page Top

#17 Is this a piece of MH370 - easy enough to determine.

How and why did it end up there - still a vexing question.

Working theory is the that pilot was going through a mid-life crisis (wife and girlfriend trouble that even the little blue pills couldn't fix). He was also politically active aligned with Anwar Ibrahim. Decided to off himself and take a bunch with him a la the German Wings kookburger.

Posted by Bangkok Billy 2015-07-29 22:35|| 2015-07-29 22:35|| Front Page Top

23:58 trailing wife
23:02 Zenobia Floger6220
22:56 Bugs Gromoting5043
22:35 Bangkok Billy
22:31 JosephMendiola
22:26 JosephMendiola
22:19 JosephMendiola
22:08 JosephMendiola
21:55 James
21:51 James
21:07 trailing wife
21:04 DarthVader
21:00 Blossom Unains5562
20:51 trailing wife
20:49 trailing wife
20:39 trailing wife
20:37 trailing wife
20:13 JosephMendiola
20:02 JosephMendiola
19:58 JosephMendiola
19:48 swksvolFF
19:46 Zenobia Floger6220
19:38 Alaska Paul
19:33 JosephMendiola