[Peetwo]

Today in the MSM and the Aviation press, there is a developing story on another suspected B777 piece of debris discovered on the coast of Mozambique.

First courtesy AvWeb:

Possible MH370 Part Found 

By AVweb staff | March 2, 2016

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image: NBC News

An object that could be a piece of a Boeing 777 has been found on a sandbank in the Mozambique Channel, between Africa and Madagascar, and is being examined by investigators searching for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, sources told NBC News today. "The object has the words "NO STEP" on it and could be from the plane's horizontal stabilizer — the wing-like parts attached to the tail, sources say," according to NBC News.

The object was discovered by an American who has been blogging about the search for MH370, which disappeared nearly two years ago. The find has not yet been confirmed or verified by authorities, but investigators have seen photographs of the latest object and sources told NBC there is a good chance it comes from a Boeing 777.

And from Ben Sandilands, courtesy of PT on Crikey this am:

Remote chance that MH370 part has been found in Mozambique

Ben Sandilands | Mar 03, 2016 3:42AM |

The Mozambique Channel as shown by the NBC

Updated  The possibility that another part of missing flight MH370 has been found on a sandbank in the Mozambique Channel is under scrutiny, but positive identification is yet to be made.


The NBC News report about the potential discovery doesn’t name the private investigator who found what superficially looks like part of the horizontal stabiliser of the Malayasia Airlines Boeing 777-200ER .

His identity is known to Plane Talking but he had requested through other parties that it not be given out pending further investigation of the find.

However since then an online article on the Society site in French revealed his identity as Blaine Gibson and published photos of his find. Gibson is recognised as a serious and methodical researcher into the disappearance of MH370 on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on 8 March 2014 with 239 people onboard.

The immediate unresolved issues with the object recovered is that it shows no signs of having been immersed in the sea for any length of time and displays a honeycombed aluminium and composite structure that needs to be confirmed as having been used in that part of the Boeing 777 model in question.

However it does have the words NO STEP on part of the structure, which is consistent with sensitive control surfaces on airliners in general. As shown in the linked NBC report, the horizontal stabilisers on a low wing jet like the 777 are the short or stubby fin like wings at the base of the vertical stabiliser or tail of the jet.

The photos of the piece of debris have been shown to the ATSB and Malaysian authorities and Boeing, none of whom have made any official comment at this stage.

The only other confirmed MH370 debris is that of a flaperon from the main wing of the missing 777 which was recovered from the shores of La Reunion island in July last year.
The relationship between La Reunion and south eastern Africa is shown on the diagram (top of page) that the NBC broadcast in its report.

This part of the Indian Ocean has been identified in some studies as a possible destination for debris from MH370 which is generally believed to have come down in the southern Indian Ocean, SW of Perth after it ran out of fuel about seven and a half hours after takeoff.

The last satellite relayed ping from a maintenance and engine performance computer on MH370 occurred some seven hours 38 minutes after takeoff, and implied according to search strategists advising the ATSB managed sea floor search, that the jet was out of control and possibly inverted before impact.

At the end of the French article Mr Gibson says, in colloquial terms “I’m not affirming any view. I don’t believe in any conspiracy theories. I think, as we have to, that the plane will be found one day. Until then I say we have to seek the evidence.”

Update: Today the new Minister Darren Chester, responsible for aviation & MH370, made a statement in Parliament:

Statement to mark the second anniversary of the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370

Media Release
DC005/2016
03 March 2016

Mr Speaker—Tuesday 8th of March 2016 marks two years since the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. Members will recall that the scheduled flight between Kuala Lumpur and Beijing disappeared with 239 people on board, including seven people who called Australia home, six of them Australian citizens.

It is fitting that today we take time to remember the people on board the aircraft and those who grieve for them.

For the families and friends of those on board, the last two years has been nothing short of harrowing; intensified by the protracted uncertainty around the circumstances in which the aircraft disappeared. We share the burden of this sorrow.

The Australian Government is working systematically and intensively to locate the aircraft, together with our search partners, Malaysia and China.

We have utilised the skills of international experts to identify the most likely resting place of the aircraft and are using cutting edge technology to scour the ocean floor. Around 90,000 square kilometres of the seafloor have been searched so far—of a total search area of 120,000 square kilometres.

Through our collective efforts, we hope to locate the aircraft and give some comfort to the family and friends of those on board and help us understand what happened to flight MH370.  Regrettably the aircraft may never be found and we may never know what happened.

Members of the House may be aware that a piece of debris, approximately one metre in length, has been found on a beach in Mozambique- a location consistent with drift modelling commissioned by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau. This piece of debris will be transferred to Australia for assessment. It is too early to speculate on the origin of the debris at this stage.

I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the work of the crew on the search vessels. These men and women work around the clock to keep the ship moving while highly skilled technicians on board analyse a constant stream of sonar data. They work in often treacherous conditions for weeks at a time, away from their homes and loved ones, to carry out this important mission.  I know they have been deeply affected by the tragedy of MH370 and that they are keenly aware of the hope many have invested in them. I thank all those involved for their sustained efforts.

As we search the remaining area, I remain hopeful the aircraft will be found. I assure the family and friends of those on board that their loved ones have not been forgotten and remain in our thoughts.

 

MTF...P2