Yes, That Debris (found near Madagascar) Is From MH370 (The missing Malaysian Flight)

[BDforever]

AUTHORITIES HAVE CONFIRMED the piece of a plane wing that washed up on the shores of Réunion, a small island off the coast of Madagascar, came from the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 jet that disappeared in March 2014.

It’s the first confirmed piece of evidence from the plane, which had 239 people on board. The debris was examined in a lab in Toulouse, France.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak confirmed the flaperon, identified last week as part of a Boeing 777, came from the jet that vanished while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. “It is with a heavy heart that I must tell you that an international team of experts have conclusively confirmed that the aircraft debris found on Reunion Island is indeed from MH370,” he said in a statement.

Réunion is roughly 4,000 miles from the jet’s last confirmed location, but after nearly 17 months in the Indian Ocean, it’s not surprising the wreckage had traveled so far. No other Boeing 777 has gone missing or crashed in that part of the world.

source: Yes, That Debris Is From MH370 | WIRED

 

[55100864]

So, 4 out of UN P5 members get involved in this drama?? Interesting!

 

[nForce]

It's all over the Indian ocean!

 

[opruh]

Who shot this plane down? US or UK?

 

[gambit]

There are still doubts on whether this part came from THE 777. So far only the Malaysian government is saying it is.

Here is why there are still doubts...Many parts on an aircraft are serial numbered, but not all of those 'many' are SERIALLY CONTROLLED.

What is a serially controlled item ?

http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/414001m/414001m_vol11.pdf

DoD Supply Chain Materiel Management Procedures: Management of Critical Safety Items, Controlled Inventory Items Including Nuclear Weapons-Related Materiel

serially managed. A tangible item used by DoD, which is designated by DoD to be uniquely tracked, controlled, or managed in maintenance, repair, or supply by means of its serial number.

In aviation maintenance, when an item is serially controlled/managed, its serial number is entered into a restricted database that contains its travel record.

For example, a hydraulic actuator that is designed for the flaps is a serially controlled item. When it is removed from one aircraft, its removal is recorded, when it is transported to the manufacturer for rebuild/overhaul, its locations are recorded, when that rebuild is completed, the completion date and functionality tests are recorded, then when it is installed into an aircraft, not the one it came from, its new aircraft location is recorded. For the aircraft itself, it will have in its record that a serial number of a different flap hydraulic actuator was installed.

A flight control computer (FLCC) is definitely serially controlled. So are the INS, attitude gyros, accelerometers, many instruments, pilot control yoke/stick and rudder assembly, cockpit panels that operates various aircraft sub-systems, and the list is long.

There are many reasons why an item maybe tagged to be serially controlled but most important is to assist in mishap investigations, minor and major. If an FLCC is suspect in a mishap, its travel will be investigated. If it had a component, such as a circuit card, replaced at the manufacturer, that event will be investigated. The old card will be tracked down and if that card was installed in another FLCC in another flying aircraft, that aircraft will be recalled and its FLCC will be removed. This level of in-depth investigation is why a Class A mishap, such as a crash, literally take months or even yrs to complete.

It is painful but caution is necessary. We do not have any word from Boeing and they will know if a part is serially controlled or not. The Malaysian government maybe premature in its announcement.

 

[Al Bhatti]

There are still doubts on whether this part came from THE 777. So far only the Malaysian government is saying it is.

Sir,

So if it is not of that plane then from where did it come? It surely belongs to some crashed plane. How many 777s might have crashed in the sea recently?

 

[Hack-Hook]

Sir,

So if it is not of that plane then from where did it come? It surely belongs to some crashed plane. How many 777s might have crashed in the sea recently?

Maybe it's not sign of a crash but a prank. If the seriall numbers can't be checked nothing can be verified.

 

[gambit]

Sir,

So if it is not of that plane then from where did it come? It surely belongs to some crashed plane. How many 777s might have crashed in the sea recently?

I am not saying that part is not from MH370, but until Boeing have done their investigation, we should reserve judgement.

If this part is a piece of a larger whole, this part may not have the necessary tag, whether that tag is literally a metal tag riveted to it, or a serial number painted on it, basically, anything that we can associate it with MH370. I know a lot of people may not like this, but I would wait for Boeing to have their ways and publish their report with this part.

 

[powastick]

Liow: Maintenance seal on flaperon matches MAS records - Nation | The Star Online

PUTRAJAYA: A maintenance seal on the flaperon found on Reunion Island matches MAS records and this is reason why Malaysia is confident the part is from MH370 said Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai (pic).

"This conclusion was reached as the technical details of the flaperon matched MAS records," said the Transport Minister.

Liow said the Malaysian investigators, in France, including members of the Department of Civil Aviation and Malaysian Airlines Berhad (MAS) were in agreement.

He added they also recognised the colour on the flaperon.

Liow said they respected the French decision to continue the verification process.

He pointed out the Island was French territory and they had the right to continue their investigation.

Liow said other plane debris had been recovered and the process to determine if it from MH370 is underway.

He said Malaysia will leave it to experts to advise on whether the search area needed to be revised.

He said decision would be made during a tripartite ministerial meeting between Australia, Malaysia And China.

Liow added the recovery of the physical evidence brings us closer to the truth.

 

[Guynextdoor2]

There are still doubts on whether this part came from THE 777. So far only the Malaysian government is saying it is.

Here is why there are still doubts...Many parts on an aircraft are serial numbered, but not all of those 'many' are SERIALLY CONTROLLED.

What is a serially controlled item ?

http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/414001m/414001m_vol11.pdf

In aviation maintenance, when an item is serially controlled/managed, its serial number is entered into a restricted database that contains its travel record.

For example, a hydraulic actuator that is designed for the flaps is a serially controlled item. When it is removed from one aircraft, its removal is recorded, when it is transported to the manufacturer for rebuild/overhaul, its locations are recorded, when that rebuild is completed, the completion date and functionality tests are recorded, then when it is installed into an aircraft, not the one it came from, its new aircraft location is recorded. For the aircraft itself, it will have in its record that a serial number of a different flap hydraulic actuator was installed.

A flight control computer (FLCC) is definitely serially controlled. So are the INS, attitude gyros, accelerometers, many instruments, pilot control yoke/stick and rudder assembly, cockpit panels that operates various aircraft sub-systems, and the list is long.

There are many reasons why an item maybe tagged to be serially controlled but most important is to assist in mishap investigations, minor and major. If an FLCC is suspect in a mishap, its travel will be investigated. If it had a component, such as a circuit card, replaced at the manufacturer, that event will be investigated. The old card will be tracked down and if that card was installed in another FLCC in another flying aircraft, that aircraft will be recalled and its FLCC will be removed. This level of in-depth investigation is why a Class A mishap, such as a crash, literally take months or even yrs to complete.

It is painful but caution is necessary. We do not have any word from Boeing and they will know if a part is serially controlled or not. The Malaysian government maybe premature in its announcement.

But if another 777 had come down in that area, they'd have known that too right?

 

[gambit]

But if another 777 had come down in that area, they'd have known that too right?

It is said that MH370 is the first 777 to crash in that part of the world. Even if that is true and even if the debris recently found is a part of a 777 aircraft, investigators are a conservative lot. They will want to confirm it with detailed forensic analysis.

Let me put it this way...

Active General Aviation Aircraft in the U.S. - AOPA

The US have the most active civilian aircrafts in the world. The vast majority of US internal airspace is public, not government. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is responsible for the management of internal air traffic. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is the investigative agency for aviation mishaps. The FAA does have its own investigators, but whenever there is a mishap, large or small, it is the NTSB that take the lead while the FAA support the investigation in terms of providing information on air traffic control and activities at the time of the mishap.

What this mean is that the US have the best aviation mishap investigation teams, technology, and methodologies in the world. Given the size of internal US airspace and activities of private pilots, American aviation investigators have been doing this literally for decades. The NTSB is routinely called for technical assistance and support for just about any international incident involving an aircraft. Each team the NTSB sent, each investigator would have yrs of aviation experience backed up by decades of institutional memory.

Most people thinks that if a crash occurs in open airspace, ie not controlled by any country, mishap investigations should be easy. That is wrong. In open airspace, the pilot is not under the authority of any ground controller. An aircraft maybe monitored in its flight, but in open airspace, the pilot is not under any obligation to obey any ground controller. So if there is a mishap, you have no non-aircraft variables to consider. Weather maybe a factor in a crash, but we do not control the weather. A ground controller may advise a pilot to do something, but in open airspace, the pilot can disregard that advisement. Without other human based variables to consider, or share the blame if necessary, a mishap investigation may begins to move into the speculative realm and this is not where we want to be. Without other human based variables, or only non-human based variables remains, the typical 'pilot error' charge is the only choice and an emotionally explosive one at that. An investigation like MH370 is the worst type any investigator want to be in.

So even if no 777 crashed in that area of the world before MH370, investigators would want as much definitive physical proof as possible that MH370's debris, or at least one part, are found. These people would rather be criticized for taking a long time and be right than be expedient and wrong.