Australian air safety investigators have officially confirmed that debris found on an island off the coast of Tanzania on June 20 is from a missing Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said the debris, found on the island of Pemba, was the inboard section of an originating from the Malaysian Airlines aircraft that operated MH370, registered as 9M-MRO.
The ATSB has been examining the flap to see whether it can determine whether it was extended or retracted and has sent its findings to manufacturer Boeing for verification.
Media reports have suggested investigators believe the flap was retracted, a finding which would deal another blow to a theory that Captain Zaharie Ahmed Shah glided the plane into the Southern Indian Ocean after it disappeared from radar in March, 2014.
It woulld add to an analysis of signals sent from the aircraft to geostationary satellite and the size of some pieces of debris that argue for an uncontrolled dive involving a series of wave-like oscillations known as phugoids.
Facts about the final moments of MH370 are scarce and investigators used what little evidence they had to define a 120,000 sq. km search area.
A two-year sweep of the area will be completed by year’s end and the governments of Malaysia, China and Australia have opted to end the search unless there is evidence it should be continued.
Australian investigators are keen to continue the search, which has become one of aviation’s biggest mysteries, and the governments are facing rising pressure from relatives and other parties to keep it going.
The new report on the debris, designated part number 5, said the ATSB confirmed a preliminary identification from part numbers on the flap.
It said a date stamp indicted it was manufactured on January 23, 2002, which was consistent with 9M-MRO”s delivery on May 31 of that year.
“All of the identification stamps had a second “OL” number, in addition to the Boeing part number, that were unique identifiers relating to part construction,’’ the report said. “The Italian part manufacturer recovered build records for the numbers located on the part and confirmed that all of the numbers related to the same serial number outboard flap that was shipped to Boeing as line number 404.
“Aircraft line number 404 was delivered to Malaysian Airlines and registered as 9M-MRO.”
The report said that at the time of writing, the flap was being examined for interaction with "mechanisms, supports and surrounding components", such as the adjoining flaperon.
“This information may contribute to an increased understanding of end of flight scenarios,’’ it said.
The report comes as relatives of victims have been in Australia talking to search officials and MH370 debris hunter Blaine Gibson handed over debris recovered from Madagascar. Mr Blaine believes the section, which shows evidence of a fire, is part of an internal wall panel from the plane.
