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Officially, it's a "very strong presumption" and has not been officially confirmed. Apparently there are some things that don't add up for the U.S. NTSB. "A pe

Officially, it's a "very strong presumption" and has not been officially confirmed. Apparently there are some things that don't add up for the U.S. NTSB. "A person involved in the investigation said, however, that experts from Boeing and the National Transportation Safety Board who have seen the object — a piece of what is known as a flaperon — were not yet fully satisfied, and called for further analysis. Their doubts were based on a modification to the flaperon part that did not appear to exactly match what they would expect from airline maintenance records, according to the person, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and requested anonymity." http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/06/world/asia/mh370-wing-reunion.html http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/06/world/asia/mh370-wing-reun... Still, hopefully it turns out to be officially and conclusively confirmed so that the process of closure can begin for the families.

blakeyrat 11y ago
There aren't any other missing 777's, so all they really need is to conclusively determine the part came from a 777 and process of elimination takes care of the rest. Still, I understand them wanting to be extremely cautious.
- MichaelGG 11y ago
  Well, not quite, right? If you wanna be paranoid, it could be a maintenance/replacement part from another 777, deliberately planted. (Not that I believe that's likely, just saying.)
- engi_nerd 11y ago
  To be definitive, though, you need to find evidence that proves that the piece you found was present on the aircraft for the flight where it went missing. You have to have some way to say, "Ah, yes, this flaperon is a Boeing part number, with serial number #XXXXXX. Maintenance records show that this exact serial number was installed on the aircraft in question, and its configuration as found matches the configuration of record for this part on the aircraft in question." Then you know for sure to a degree that will stand up in any inquiry.
engi_nerd 11y ago
It wouldn't be the first part ever installed in an airplane that didn't match print, or the first set of aircraft maintenance records that wasn't complete. I intend no snark here -- just saying, this discrepancy doesn't necessarily mean anything. But this is not an argument against further investigation. For a tragedy such as this, any discrepancies should be investigated to their fullest extent, as you never know what tiny piece of evidence may reveal what happened.

blakeyrat 11y ago

There aren't any other missing 777's, so all they really need is to conclusively determine the part came from a 777 and process of elimination takes care of the rest. Still, I understand them wanting to be extremely cautious.

MichaelGG 11y ago
Well, not quite, right? If you wanna be paranoid, it could be a maintenance/replacement part from another 777, deliberately planted. (Not that I believe that's likely, just saying.)
engi_nerd 11y ago
To be definitive, though, you need to find evidence that proves that the piece you found was present on the aircraft for the flight where it went missing. You have to have some way to say, "Ah, yes, this flaperon is a Boeing part number, with serial number #XXXXXX. Maintenance records show that this exact serial number was installed on the aircraft in question, and its configuration as found matches the configuration of record for this part on the aircraft in question." Then you know for sure to a degree that will stand up in any inquiry.

engi_nerd 11y ago

It wouldn't be the first part ever installed in an airplane that didn't match print, or the first set of aircraft maintenance records that wasn't complete. I intend no snark here -- just saying, this discrepancy doesn't necessarily mean anything. But this is not an argument against further investigation. For a tragedy such as this, any discrepancies should be investigated to their fullest extent, as you never know what tiny piece of evidence may reveal what happened.