Did this mysterious piece of debris come from the doomed ghost-flight MH370? (PHOTOS)

Debris from Reunion Island to be studied this week for clues.

French and Malaysian aviation officials have met in France to investigate a piece of debris suspected to be torn from the doomed Malaysian Airlines flight MH370. It is possible other debris will wash ashore in the coming days. 

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The mysterious disappearance of MH370 has baffled aviation experts, who are still wondering how a Boeing 777, one of the largest airliners in the world, could simply disappear without a trace. They have not yet discovered any physical evidence, until now. Last week, authorities found a piece of debris, thought to be a flaperon, from a 777 aircraft. Since MH370 is the only 777 lost in the region, officials say that it is almost certain it comes from the doomed airliner. The seven-foot long item washed ashore on Reunion Island, a small, French Island hundreds of miles to the east of Madagascar.

The disaster which occurred on the night of March 8, 2014, cost the lives of 239 people, mostly Chinese and Malaysian citizens. It has led to speculation over what happened to the airliner and why. Theories have ranged from hijacking to a secret government plot to steal or sabotage the plane. The captain, Zahrie Shah, has been suspected of committing suicide, although subsequent investigation into his personal life revealed no evidence that he was likely to do so.

The most likely theory is that a fire broke out on board the aircraft and the captain turned towards an airport, Palau Langkawi, it is believed, but was unable to communicate with officials on the ground due to distraction and communication failures. The crew and passengers were quickly overcome by smoke and the ghost plane flew itself south, with all its crew and passengers dead, until it ran out of fuel and crashed into the quiet sea hours later.

Still, all of these theories are speculative based on data collected by radar installations and satellites. Communications with the ground revealed very little information, except that all appeared to be normal until the moment the plane's transponder was turned off and the doomed flight diverted its course. While this could have been because of crew tampering, it could have also been a result of a fire destroying wires and equipment below deck.

The coming investigation will confirm the origin of the debris by examining serial numbers stamped into the metal. It will also look at barnacles which have grown on it to approximate how long it has been in the water.

The debris can also provide a lot of extra information. Its washing ashore on the tides means it was brought there by currents. By backtracking the currents, experts can narrow down the likely crash site of MH370. The debris itself can also yield clues to how the plane may have been destroyed, revealing if the aircraft plunged directly into the water at a steep angle, or if it glided silently into the ocean. The nature of the final descent can reveal clues as to what went wrong.

Experts have speculated that the plane may have dived towards the ocean in its final moments, causing the flaperon, a small flap located on the wing of the plane that helps the pilot steer, to tear off while remaining intact enough to stay afloat. The flaperon is compartmentalized with hollow chambers, which makes it buoyant.

Investigators are also hopeful that additional debris will wash ashore in the coming days and that those debris could provide even more clues. Beachcombers have been asked to look for anything suspicious and to report everything to the authorities. This has led to a flurry of reports which are forcing authorities to scramble. Unfortunately, there is a lot of flotsam on Reunion Island, the result of trash tossed overboard from cargo vessels. A piece of debris that was widely reported on Thursday, turned out to be a part from a ladder, and entirely unrelated to MH370. Another piece with Chinese lettering came from a kettle, likely unrelated to the crash.

For now, the world continues to wait and pray for answers. French investigators believe they will be able to confirm the origin of the flaperon by the end of this week.

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