Plane debris found on Indian Ocean island part of Boeing 777: Malaysia

A PIECE of debris which experts believe may have belonged to the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 has arrived in France for testing.

Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia said on Sunday that airplane debris that washed up on the Indian Ocean island of Reunion has been identified as being from a Boeing 777, the same model as Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 which vanished early previous year. – We know that around 1.30am, tracking systems such as the jet’s transponder were shut off, yet the plane appeared on military radar until 2.15am as it turned back over Malaysia and flew out to the Indian Ocean.

A Malaysian official and an aviation expert have both said it is nearly certain part of a Boeing 777. “We need the closure and all the evidence possible so that we can go ahead with our lives”, said Nur Laila Ngah, the wife of the flight chief steward Wan Swaid Wan Ismail.

A spokesperson for Australia’s Transport and Infrastructure Minister Warren Truss said that more “objects are being brought to local stations but nothing “obvious” so far”.

The debris was placed in a crate for the trip to France, where it will be taken to a lab operated by the French General Directorate of Armament.

That analysis will begin Wednesday, the Paris prosecutor’s office said.

On the island police had also collected Sunday a mangled piece of metal inscribed with two Chinese characters and attached to what appears to be a leather-covered handle.

It’s unclear when the identification process will be completed and its results announced.

The official declined to be identified because he is not authorized to speak to the media.

The U.S. intelligence assessment was largely focused on the multiple course changes the aircraft made after it deviated from its scheduled Kuala Lumpur-to-Beijing route.

A massive search operation, the most extensive and costly in the history of aviation, failed to find a single trace of the aircraft after many months of effort.

Malaysian investigators haven’t reported finding any evidence that casts suspicion on the pilots. Law enforcement and intelligence agencies from numerous countries examined the plane’s manifest of crew and passengers and found no significant information to suggest anyone on board posed an obvious threat.

Dolan said last week that he is “increasingly confident, but not yet certain” that the debris is from MH370. A multinational search effort has so far come up empty. However, investigators quickly shot down hopes.