Saint-Denis, Reunion Island: Boeing investigators are confident that debris found on a remote island in the Indian Ocean comes from a 777 aircraft, according to a source close to the investigation.
An international team of aviation experts is trying to determine if that airplane part comes from Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, a Boeing 777 that disappeared in March 2014 with 239 people on board.
A match might help solve the mystery of what happened to that airplane since no other 777s in the world are unaccounted for, according to the Aviation Safety Network, an online database of flight incidents.
People cleaning a beach found the debris Wednesday on Reunion, a French overseas territory in the western Indian Ocean.
The source said Boeing investigators feel confident the piece comes from a 777 because of photos that have been analyzed and a stenciled number that corresponds to a 777 component. A component number is not the same as a part number, which is generally much longer.
Images of the debris also appear to match schematic drawings for the right wing flaperon from a Boeing 777. A flaperon helps the pilot control the aircraft. It is lightweight and has sealed chambers, making it buoyant.
Despite this confidence, no one is saying the part definitely comes from a 777, much less MH370.
30/07/15 Ralph Ellis, Robyn Kriel and Jethro Mullen/CNN
