A fragment of debris recovered from the island of Mauritius earlier this year has been confirmed as being part of a wing component from a missing Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said on Friday a part number on the debris, found on the island on May 10, identified it as a trailing edge splice strap from a wing flap, a moveable surface at the rear of the wing.
Investigators said it been part of a rear spar assembly of a Boeing 777 left outboard flap and had an “OL” part number similar to that found on a right outboard flap section.
“The flap manufacturer supplied records indicating that this identifier was a unique work order number and that the referred part was incorporated into the outboard flap shipset line number 404 which corresponded to the Boeing 777 aircraft line number 404, registered 9M-MRO and operating as MH370,’’ investigators said.
The ATSB has now confirmed that a number of items came from the plane, which disappeared in March, 2014 with 239 passengers and crew on board.
It is continuing to search for the plane and also has underway studies into ocean drift patterns and marine growths found on the parts in a bid to find it.
A search of a 120,000 sq. km area calculated to most likely contain the crash site has so far drawn a blank and will conclude later this year unless compelling new evidence emerges.
There remain conflicting theories about what happened to the plane with latest, from respected US avaition author Christine Negroni, suggesting some sort of decompression event.
However, investigators continue to concetrate on the limited facts they have as they try to find the wreckage in the deep waters and often hostile environment of the southern Indian Ocean..
Meanwhile, two Australian families of MH370 victims were due to meet the airline’s lawyers Friday to try to reach a settlement over compensation.
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