[Peetwo]

Gobbles you might be pleased to know that our resident MH370 super sleuth Muppet, did eventually make an appearance, see quoted text  in bold below in the 3rd instalment to the Oz hosted AAP coverage:

MH370 speculation sparked by debris found on Indian Ocean island  

• by: Jacquelin Magnay
  
• From: The Australian
  
• July 30, 2015 7:48PM
  

European Correspondent

 Plane debris checked for MH370 ties0:28

• Play video
  

Authorities are examining if debris that washed up on an African island is that of missing flight MH370.


Damaged remains of a suitcase found near debris that may be from Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

Reports are emerging that the damaged remnants of a suitcase have been found washed ashore on the same Indian Ocean island where debris that may be from missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 was discovered.  

Less than a day after a two-metre long object that aviation experts say is likely a wing flap from a Boeing 777 was found on the island of Reunion, a photo has emerged of a man holding the tattered remains of a bag.

French language website Linfo.re has reported that a gardener found the bag near where the debris was discovered.

There has been no further information linking the bag to MH370, a Boeing 777 that disappeared on March 8, 2014 with 239 people on board.



Picture of a suitcase found this morning on an island in the Indian Ocean. Source: Twitter 
 
MH370 possibility ‘realistic’

There is a “realistic possibility” the debris washed up on Reunion Island may have come from Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 says Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss.

Authorities are scrambling to verify the origin of the two-metre long piece of wreckage, possibly from a wing part known as a flaperon.

The discovery has raised hopes it could be from the Boeing 777 plane, which diverted from its Kuala Lumpur-to-Beijing route shortly after takeoff on March 8 last year.

Mr Truss told reporters today the photographs of the wreckage are not inconsistent with a Boeing 777 and said it was the most promising lead yet.

Mr Truss said authorities are treating the find as a ”very significant development” and investigations are continuing.

MH370 speculation :premature: Malaysia Airlines

Malaysia Airlines says it is “premature” to speculate on whether wreckage found in the Indian Ocean is from missing flight MH370, as authorities scrambled to verify the origin of the debris.

The two-metre long piece of wreckage, possibly from a wing part known as a flaperon, was found on a beach on the French island of La Reunion.

“At the moment, it would be too premature for the airline to speculate (on) the origin of the flaperon,” Malaysia Airlines said in a statement.

It said it was working with “relevant authorities to confirm the matter”.

Earlier, Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said his government had sent a team to examine the find, while also cautioning against jumping to conclusions.

The large chunk of debris washed up on the east coast shoreline at Saint Andre on the island, and if it is determined to be from MH370 it will help solve one of the biggest aviation mysteries of all time.

A US official says air safety investigators have a “high degree of confidence” that the aircraft debris is of a wing component unique to the Boeing 777, the same model as the Malaysia Airlines plane that disappeared last year.

The official says investigators - including a Boeing air safety investigator - have identified the component as a “flaperon” from the trailing edge of a 777 wing.

The US official spoke on condition they not be named because they aren’t authorised to speak publicly.

“This concave shape is indeed common to the 777 flap design,” one long-time Boeing engineer told The Wall Street Journal.

Wing could be MH370

Aviation officials are urgently assessing if a shell-crusted wing flap discovered off the South Indian Ocean country of Reunion Island belongs to the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

The large chunk of debris washed up on the east coast shoreline at Saint Andre on the island, and if it is determined to be from MH370 it will help solve one of the biggest aviation mysteries of all time.

And a US official says air safety investigators have a “high degree of confidence” that a photo of aircraft debris found in the Indian Ocean is of a wing component unique to the Boeing 777, the same model as the Malaysia Airlines plane that disappeared last year.

The official says investigators - including a Boeing air safety investigator - have identified the component as a “flaperon” from the trailing edge of a 777 wing.

The US official spoke on condition they not be named because they aren’t authorised to speak publicly.

“This concave shape is indeed common to the 777 flap design,” one long-time Boeing engineer told The Wall Street Journal.

However, Christian Retournat, a French air force official based on the island, told CNN: “It is way too soon to say whether or not it is MH370. We just found the debris this morning.”



Policemen stand next to a piece of debris from an unidentified aircraft found in the coastal area of Saint-Andre de la Reunion. Source: AFP 
 
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau was notified by French officials on Reunion Island late on Wednesday (AEST) of the discovery of what appears to be part of a wing.

The ATSB is working with the plane’s manufacturer, Boeing, to identify if it is from MH370.

“We’ve received some pictures of the item and we are having them assessed by the manufacturers as to what they may be,” ATSB spokesman Joe Hattley told AAP.

“The French authorities have it secured,” Hattley said of the debris. “We’ll work with the French.

“First we need to determine what the item is and whether it is part of a Boeing 777 and then if it is part of MH370.”

Key to the investigation will be serial numbers on the wreckage.

“There’s two numbers you’d be looking for,” he said. “One is a part number. Similar parts on different planes would have a number.

“And you’d have a serial number, a specific number to that particular component.

“If we can locate a serial number we might be able to match it to a specific air frame.”

Australian Transport Safety Bureau chief commissioner Martin Dolan, who heads the seabed search, said searchers’ drift modelling indicated that debris could have floated to the island from where they believed the missing plane crashed 1800km southwest of Australia.

So if the find proved to be part of the missing aircraft, it would still be consistent with the theory that the plane crashed within the 120,000km sq search area.

“It doesn’t rule out our current search area if this were associated with MH370,” Dolan told The Associated Press. “It is entirely possible that something could have drifted from our current search area to that island.”

“It’s unlikely to change the search plans. It would give us confirmation that there is an aircraft definitely in the Indian Ocean,” he said.

Dolan said search resources would be better spent continuing the seabed search with sonar and video for wreckage rather than reviving a surface search for debris if the find proved to be from Flight 370.

Confirmation that the wing part was the first trace of Flight 370 ever found would finally disprove theories that the airliner might have disappeared in the northern hemisphere, he said.

Dolan said he had seen detailed photographs of the find and “it certainly looks like an aerofoil from a large aircraft.”

Police carry a piece of debris from an unidentified aircraft found in the coastal area of Saint-Andre de la Reunion. Source: AFP  

Locals say the piece of plane appears to have been in the water for around a year.

French aviation experts were immediately assessing the photographs of the wing flap for any connection to MH370 and early speculation is that it could be the wing of a Boeing 777, the same as MH370.

MH370 disappeared after taking off from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on March 8, 2014, bound for Beijing with 239 people aboard.

In the 18 months since there have been extensive multinational searches including the Australian-led search off the west coast of Australia that was initiated by computer analysis of “pings” emanating from the plane which appeared to change course in a dead spot of radar activity between Malaysia and Vietnam.

There have been other aircraft crashes in the area near Reunion Island, including a twin engine crash in 2006, and an A310 which crashed off the Comoros in 2009.

What we know so far and what happens next

What was found:
* A composite metal object, believed to be from an aircraft, covered in shells
* It measures 2m long, 1m wide, takes 4-5 people to carry
* It appears to be part of rear of an aircraft wing
* It could be a “flapper”, used as aircraft lands or takes off

Where was it found:
* It was discovered by locals on a beach on the Island of La Reunion, French Indian Ocean, about 6000km from current search area
* Find is consistent with the path debris was predicted to flow, away from search zone
* If confirmed, it would also be consistent with theory MH370 crashed within 120,000sq km search area 1800km southwest of Perth

What happens next:
* Malaysia has sent team to Reunion to examine the debris
* Authorities, including those in Australia, working with manufacturer Boeing to try to identify it * They are looking for a part number or a serial number; there appears to be an unidentified number - BB670
* This would help confirm type of plane, owner of plane (MH370 was a Boeing 777)
* Expected to take several days to identify and/or confirm if it’s from MH370 or not
MH370

Recap:
* MH370 disappeared on the night of March 8, 2014
* Had been heading from Kualu Lumpur to Beijing
* Last contact made as it was travelling over the South China Sea
* Minutes later it veered off its route over waters near Malaysia
* 237 passengers and 12 Malaysian crew on board
* Most where Chinese, also 6 Australian travellers
* Theories about what happened include: the pilot going rogue, a hypoxia event, and even accusations Russia commandeered the plane to Kazakhstan

Search so far:
* Australia has led the operation to find MH370 since March 17, 2014
* Some 50,000sq km of sea floor in the southern Indian Ocean has been scanned
* Nothing has been found so far
* About 40pc of the overall search area still to be examined
With agencies

 
There is still some bizarre contradictions in all this??---MTF...P2