Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now
Sign up
*Password must be at least 8 characters and contain one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one symbol.
Already have an account?
By submitting, you consent that you are at least 18 years of age and to receive information about MPR's or APMG entities' programs and offerings. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about MPR, APMG entities, and its sponsors. You may opt-out at any time clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email communication. View our Privacy Policy.
Sign in to your profile
Forgot Password?
New to MPR News?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Reset Password

Enter the username on file and we'll send you a code to reset your password.

Still require assistance or not sure what your User Name is?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Email Verification

A verification code has been emailed to

Still awaiting the code?
Russell Lewis, NPR

Debris in Indian Ocean may have come from vanished plane

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log inCreate a free Account

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
A piece of a wing, apparently from a Boeing 777, has been found on Reunion, an island in the Indian Ocean. It's not clear yet whether the debris is from the Malaysia Airlines jet that disappeared from radar during a flight last year.
A piece of a wing, apparently from a Boeing 777, has been found on Reunion, an island in the Indian Ocean. It's not clear yet whether the debris is from the Malaysia Airlines jet that disappeared from radar during a flight last year.
Yannick Pitou

Authorities on the French island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean have found debris that may be from a missing Malaysia Airlines jet.

A source familiar with the investigation tells NPR's Geoff Brumfiel that the debris appears to have come from a large passenger aircraft, but it remains unclear whether it's from Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which vanished from radar on March 8, 2014.

The Boeing 777 took off from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and was flying to Beijing, China, with 239 people on board. About an hour after departure, the flight crew made a final radio transmission and was never heard from again.

As Geoff reported for our Newscast unit:

"Up until now, the only lead in the search for the plane were brief transmissions it sent to an orbiting satellite in the hours after it disappeared. Based on that signal, investigators believed the aircraft flew to the Southern Indian Ocean near Australia, before it ran out of fuel and crashed."

Investigators have found a 9-foot by 3-foot section of a white wing. It appears to be a part called a "flaperon," which combines flaps (the trailing edge of the wing that help planes during takeoff and landings) and ailerons (which turn the aircraft). Several media outlets are quoting senior Boeing officials who say the debris is consistent with a 777.

Pictures show the wing part has likely been in the water for a while. There will be serial numbers on the flaperon that investigators will use to definitively say whether this debris came from the missing plane.

Models by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau suggest the debris could have reached Réunion within this time frame, and that is "consistent with the drift modeling." In addition to the French investigators, officials from Malaysia are also heading to the island. Copyright 2019 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.