Debris Believed to Be From the Missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 Found on Madagascan Coast
Aug. 30 2023, Published 12:45 p.m. ET
Debris believed to be from the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 was found washed ashore on the coast of Madagascar this week, Knewz.com exclusively reported.
This marks the fourth item allegedly from MH370 to have been discovered on the same beach since the passenger jet went missing on March 8, 2014.
A total of 36 pieces of floating debris have been found and delivered to the Malaysian authorities for investigation, according to a Knewz.com investigation.
Of the 36 pieces, 21 have been found washed ashore on the island country of Madagascar off the south-eastern coast of Africa.
Five items of suspected MH370 debris have been found on the same beach on the Antsiraka Peninsula, and the recently discovered item is similar to other debris that has been found – including a similar piece of suspected wreckage discovered in Mozambique in 2016.
The triangular wreckage, measuring 22 inches in length, was reportedly made of a typical carbon fiber reinforced plastic with a non-metallic honeycomb core.
The most recent debris also had a honeycomb core and was found washed ashore on the South Beach of the Antsiraka Peninsula in March 2017.
The item was uncovered last year in the backyard of a local fisherman named Tataly by American adventurer Blaine Gibson.
Gibson, who has made it his personal mission to find MH370 debris, described Tataly's yard as full of objects collected from the sea and one specific piece caught Gibson's eye due to its resemblance to floating debris from MH370.
Tataly informed Gibson that he had found the item in March 2017 after a tropical storm had passed through the area.
The debris had barnacles on it, was slightly curved, and made of composite materials with a white side, a black side, and a brown honeycomb in between.
Tataly, unaware of its origin, reportedly used it as a washing board. According to Gibson, the debris was in nearly the same condition as when it was found in 2017.
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The location where the debris was found matches the predictions made by the University of Western Australia's oceanographic model, as revealed by aerospace engineer Richard Godfrey.
Godfrey believed that the debris was likely the remnant of the left main landing gear trunnion door. He studied the debris and concluded that it suffered considerable damage – suggesting it was torn from its fixings and was part of a movable panel.
“The debris item has the same thickness, construction and materials as other wing panels and landing gear door panels found and likely from MH370," he explained.
“The debris item was torn from its fixings and has suffered considerable damage," Godfrey continued. "The possibility that there is an indent typical of the base plate of an attachment or drive rod indicates that the debris item is part of a movable panel."
"It is therefore even more likely that the debris item is part of the left trunnion door on the main landing gear.”
Godfrey further stated that the debris item's slicing damage, which penetrated right through it, indicated a significant force and suggested that the landing gear was extended on impact.
He believed that the end of the flight involved a high-speed dive, causing the aircraft to break up into as many pieces as possible.
Godfrey also theorized that there was an active pilot until the end of the flight and that the intent was to hide the crash evidence.
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, a total of 36 pieces of floating debris have been found since the suspected crash of MH370 in 2014.
Eight additional pieces have been identified from photos and delivered to Malaysia for investigation.
According to Godfrey, 21 of these pieces have been shown to be from MH370 or highly likely to be from the aircraft.
Ocean Infinity, a private company, plans to resume an underwater search for MH370 in late 2023 or early 2024.