After all that searching, the notion that part of the lost plane washed up on an island seems like incalculable luck. The next part of the mystery seems outrageously simple by comparison, as there’s really only one question investigators need to answer: Is this a part from a Boeing 777? That’s because there’s never been a 777 lost over the ocean before: MH370.
There are already some encouraging signs. The 777 flaperon, which, again, is a moveable part from the back of the wing, has a particular shape that’s unique to all Boeing’s other flaperons, so a simple comparison of the dimensions suggests that it’s from a 777. But remember that the part has been tossed in the ocean for a year and a half. Eyeballs alone are not enough.
Other details from photos that made aircraft safety expert David Soucie think it was from a 777, as he told CNN:
There also is a seal on the top of the part that “is consistent with what I would see on an inside flap on a triple 7,” he said, and the barnacles on the part are consistent with the “parasitic activity” that would take place from being underwater so long.
However, the part appears to be coated in white paint, which would run counter to Soucie’s other observations in that the 777’s parts would be coated in zinc chromate, not paint. Soucie acknowledged, however, that the part could be coated in something from the ocean.
Looking deeper, aircraft parts also have serial numbers inscribed into them, and this could be another way to confirm not only which type of plane the flaperon is from but also the exact aircraft it was made for. That might be wishful thinking as ocean oxidation might have erased the numbers. Wired reported that another aircraft security expert, Xavier Tytelman, claimed to make an undeniable match based on the shape and he also says he found what he thinks is part of a serial number: “BB670.” Sure, maybe?
31/07/15 Alissa Walker/Gizmodo
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There are already some encouraging signs. The 777 flaperon, which, again, is a moveable part from the back of the wing, has a particular shape that’s unique to all Boeing’s other flaperons, so a simple comparison of the dimensions suggests that it’s from a 777. But remember that the part has been tossed in the ocean for a year and a half. Eyeballs alone are not enough.
Other details from photos that made aircraft safety expert David Soucie think it was from a 777, as he told CNN:
There also is a seal on the top of the part that “is consistent with what I would see on an inside flap on a triple 7,” he said, and the barnacles on the part are consistent with the “parasitic activity” that would take place from being underwater so long.
However, the part appears to be coated in white paint, which would run counter to Soucie’s other observations in that the 777’s parts would be coated in zinc chromate, not paint. Soucie acknowledged, however, that the part could be coated in something from the ocean.
Looking deeper, aircraft parts also have serial numbers inscribed into them, and this could be another way to confirm not only which type of plane the flaperon is from but also the exact aircraft it was made for. That might be wishful thinking as ocean oxidation might have erased the numbers. Wired reported that another aircraft security expert, Xavier Tytelman, claimed to make an undeniable match based on the shape and he also says he found what he thinks is part of a serial number: “BB670.” Sure, maybe?
31/07/15 Alissa Walker/Gizmodo
