The wing flap found in Tanzania came from MH370

A large piece of metal debris found off the coast of Tanzania has been confirmed as a part of missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) made the announcement this evening, after examining the outboard flap at its facilities in Canberra.

In its findings, the ATSB said “a date stamp associated with one of the part numbers indicated manufacture on 23 January 2002, which was consistent with the 31 May 2002 delivery day for 9M-MRO.”

"Further examination of the debris will continue in hopes that evidence may be uncovered which may provide new insight into the circumstances surrounding flight MH370."

So far the confirmation does not appear to have offered any clues as to how the Malaysia Airlines aircraftwent down en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 passengers and crew on board.

MH370 is believed to have crashed into the Indian Ocean on March 8, 2014, but an extensive deep-sea hunt off the coast of Western Australia is drawing to a close with nothing yet found.

The Australian-led operation to find MH370 is scouring the seafloor within a remote 120,000-square-kilometre belt of the Indian Ocean where authorities believe the passenger jet went down.

But as the search draws to a close victims' families fear it could be called off.

While the Australian-led search has been so far unsuccessful, several pieces of debris that apparently drifted thousands of kilometres towards Africa have been identified as definitely or probably from MH370.

Those finds have confirmed that the plane crashed in the ocean but have so far shed no light on why, which has lead to questions over whether the official search is focused in the right area.

An American amateur investigator, Blaine Gibson, handed other possible MH370 debris to Australian officials earlier this week, saying several pieces were blackened by flames, raising the prospect of a flash fire on board.

Mr Gibson, a lawyer, who has travelled the world trying to solve the MH370 mystery, told reporters the debris had washed up in Madagascar.

9news

Search for Malaysia Airlines MH370 to be suspended

The hunt for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 is likely to be suspended if the aircraft is not found in the current search area.

Officials from China, Malaysia and Australia confirmed the search will reach a hiatus if an area of the southern Indian Ocean currently under investigation reveals no further information.

The plane, with 239 passengers and crew, disappeared in March 2014.

A statement from the three nations, released after a meeting in Malaysia, said “the likelihood of finding the aircraft is fading”.

With less than 10,000 square kilometres of the search area remaining, it appears the operation is coming to an end.

This is against the wishes of many of the relatives of those on-board the plane who have long urged for the search to continue until the Boeing 777 is located.

“In the absence of new credible evidence, Malaysia, Australia and China have collectively agreed to suspend the search upon completion of the 120,000-km search,” Malaysian transport minister Liow Tiong Lai explained.

Costing more than £100 million, the search is the most expensive in aviation history.

While several pieces of Boeing 777 debris have washed up along the east coast of Africa, nothing related to MH370 has been found in the area.

MH370 is the only missing Boeing 777 in the world.

Breaking Travel News

Malaysia Airlines missing Flight 370 Wing flap was found in Tanzania

 Photo via Controladores Aéreos on Twitter

The Australian government has released photos of a large section of a plane’s wing discovered near Tanzania and believed to be from the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.

According to ABCNews.com, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is reporting the wing flap was found on Pemba Island near Tanzania in late June, and it was transported to Australia for examination.

“Malaysia and Australia have worked with Tanzanian officials to assume responsibility for the item, believed to be an outboard wing flap,” ATSB officials said in a statement. “The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is working with Malaysian investigators to ascertain whether it is from a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777.”

Several pieces of debris have been discovered since Flight MH370 disappeared in March 2014, including a remnant of a wing that was found on La Reunion Island in July 2015. The debris was confirmed to be from the missing plane by French investigators.

TravelPulse

Possible section of Malaysia Airlines #MH370 wing found in Tanzania | AIRLIVE.net

A large piece of what may have been the wing of missing flight MH370 has been found on Pemba Island, Tanzania.The discovery is reported on the Jamii Forums site.
Few details are given, but the images posted make it an object of strong interest.

ALERT Possible section of Malaysia Airlines #MH370 wing found in Tanzania | AIRLIVE.net

Airnews » Κοντά στον εντοπισμό του εξαφανισμένου αεροπλάνου της Malaysian Airlines;

          

Έπειτα από δύο χρόνια αναζήτησης, οι αυστραλιανές αρχές ίσως βρίσκονται πιο κοντά από ποτέ στον εντοπισμό του αεροπλάνου της Malaysian Airlines, που εξαφανίστηκε μυστηριωδώς τον Μάρτιο του 2014.

Ειδικότερα, νέα ανάλυση του στίγματος του αεροσκάφους επέτρεψε τον περιορισμό της έκτασης των ερευνών σε μια θαλάσσια περιοχή 100.000 τετραγωνικών χιλιομέτρων. Μετά από δύο χρόνια ερευνών, που απέβησαν άκαρπες, η νέα ανάλυση δίνει στην ερευνητική ομάδα τις μεγαλύτερες ελπίδες για τον εντοπισμό του αεροσκάφους. Για να περιορίσουν την έκταση των ερευνών οι ερευνητές στράφηκαν σε έναν Άγγλο μαθηματικού του 18ου αιώνα, ονόματι Τόμας Μπέυζ. Η εν λόγω μέθοδος χρησιμοποιήθηκε και για τον εντοπισμό του αεροσκάφους της Air France, που δεν είχε εντοπιστεί επί δύο χρόνια μετά τη συντριβή του στον Ατλαντικό Ωκεανό.

Υπενθυμίζεται ότι πριν από μερικούς μήνες στο νησάκι Ρεϊνιόν του Ινδικού Ωκεανού εντοπίστηκε το μοναδικό συντρίμμι του μοιραίου αεροσκάφους, του οποίου η εξαφάνιση αποτελεί το μεγαλύτερο μυστήριο στην ιστορία της αεροπλοΐας.

Airnews » Κοντά στον εντοπισμό του εξαφανισμένου αεροπλάνου της Malaysian Airlines;

Investigators: Both MH370 engines flamed out; search narrowed

Aaron Karp - ATW

Australian investigators believe both of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370’s engines flamed out, suggesting the Boeing 777-200 was not intentionally ditched. Also, new analysis has narrowed the search area for MH370, giving officials renewed hope of finding the aircraft.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has issued a new report on MH370 based on research and analysis conducted by the Australian Defense Science and Technology Group that confirms the search for the missing 777 is generally being conducted in the right area of the southern Indian Ocean. But it narrows the search area to the southern portion of a search area that spanned 120,000 sq km.

“There’s around 44,000 sq km yet to be searched in this new priority area, and we’re optimistic and hopeful that that search will result in us locating the aircraft,” Australian deputy prime minister Warren Truss said at a news conference following the report’s release. Truss said he expected the “new priority area” to be completely searched by June 2016. He added that there will be “maximum effort” to put the “best [search] equipment … in the right places, so we can conclude this search as quickly we can.”

Significantly, the ATSB report cites satellite and meteorological data, including the final satellite communication transmission from the aircraft, indicating that both of the aircraft’s engines flamed out. Investigators also relied on 777 performance characteristics provided by Boeing.

The analysis concludes that after MH370 had been airborne for 7 hours and 38 minutes, “fuel exhaustion was probable,” according to ATSB. “It is likely that the right engine flamed out first followed by the left engine.” ATSB said the left engine “could have continued to run for up to 15 minutes after the right engine flamed out.”

ATSB said the evidence of a double engine flame-out is “inconsistent with a controlled ditching scenario.” ATSB said that “a controlled diching scenario requires engine thrust to properly control the direction and vertical speed at touchdown and to provide hydraulic power for the flight controls including the flaps.”

MH370 with 239 passengers and crew aboard veered from its planned course about 40 minutes after taking off from Kuala Lumpur bound for Beijing on March 8, 2014. There was no sign of the 777 until late July 2015, when a piece of aircraft wing was discovered on Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean. The aircraft debris was later determined by specialists in France to be from MH370.

Both MH370 engines flamed out;