MH370 sleuth and debris hunter Blaine Gibson has recovered from Madagascar what may be the most significant piece of wreckage yet that could tell investigators what happened on board to cause the loss of 239 lives on March 8, 2014.
The new pieces, to be given to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau in Canberra, are non-structural and appear to be sections of an internal wall panel which has been burnt, quite likely by a flash fire.
They bear a remarkable resemblance to some of the the panelling used in the Boeing 777 Avionics Bay which is located below and behind the cockpit under the main cabin floor.
MH370 relatives: Please don't give up serach
MH370 relatives are tormented by speculation
The pieces were found by Milson Tovontsoa, Rija Ravolatra, and Eodia Andriamahery from the town of Saint Luce on the south east coast of Madagascar.
Mr Gibson told AirlineRatings.com that he was immediately struck by the significance of the pieces which showed scorch marks and had obviously been exposed to heat.
However, he cautioned that the experts at the ATSB needed “to forensically examine the pieces to determine where they came from and what happened to them” before any conclusions could be drawn.
Mr Gibson who has found 13 pieces of confirmed or suspected debris from MH370 has become the focus of picking up wreckage.
So far 27 pieces have been recovered.
Mr Gibson now has an army of followers in a host of west Indian Ocean locations scouring beaches looking for debris.
The new find gives investigators and searchers other scenarios for the loss of MH370.
Channel 7 Perth's interview with Blaine Gibson.
The most widely held theory has been that the captain took control of the Boeing 777 and flew it to the southern Indian Ocean.
However, these new pieces raise other possibilities including cascading failures after a flash fire.
But Mr Gibson says that the burn marks may have been from when the aircraft crashed into the Indian Ocean.
“The sea is slowly giving up her secrets.
“I believe these pieces are extremely important.”
Rather than give up the new pieces to the Madagascar authorities, as he has done before, Mr Gibson has brought them to Australia to hand them over directly to the ATSB.
“Malaysia is yet to pick up five pieces I found there three months ago,” said Mr Blaine.
One of those pieces is a frame for a seat back monitor from a Boeing 777 which would indicate that the plane was involved in a catastrophic impact with the ocean.
Read: Malaysia should give up investigation to another country
Have questions or want to share your thoughts?
