Possible Debris from Flight 370 Found in Mozambique

Civil aviation authorities in Mozambique have announced that an American citizen that has been independently investigating the mysterious disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 may have found a part from the missing aircraft. Mozambique’s Civil Aviation Institute president, Joao de Abreu, warns that the part’s identification is still speculative: “It’s very difficult for any crash investigator to confirm which type of plane that piece belongs to.”

Initially, adventurer and Seattle native Blaine Gibson thought he had found a part from a smaller aircraft, but authorities say it is very possibly from a Boeing 777, matching the model of the missing Flight 370 aircraft. The piece, believed to be a part of the leading edge of a horizontal stabilizer, is expected to be transferred to Australian aviation authorities in the near future, for further investigation. This is only the second suspected piece of the aircraft that has been recovered in the two years since it’s disappearance on March 8, 2014.

Gibson found the debris shortly before heading to Malaysia, to attend the 2nd anniversary commemoration of the disappearance of Flight 370. “It’s important to keep it in perspective,” Gibson said, regarding his discovery. “This is about the families of the 239 victims, who haven’t seen their relatives for two years now.”