If this aircraft were a Beechcraft the control surface found would indeed have a serial number and be easily identified as being installed in whatever original aircraft received this part. I do not know what Boeing does but it would seem something similar would be feasible.

I think it very likely that if the black boxes (orange in color) were actually found they indeed would provide the "usual" data. One can only hope.

Best regards,

RA1

If this aircraft were a Beechcraft the control surface found would indeed have a serial number and be easily identified as being installed in whatever original aircraft received this part. I do not know what Boeing does but it would seem something similar would be feasible.

Yes, pretty sure that part will have a unique serial number that will let it be traced to the specific aircraft that it was installed on. I.e., not just the aircraft model but which specific, unique airplane.

On commercial and military aircraft, like you describe on Beechcraft, just about every part bigger than a rivet is a "serialized part" bearing a unique serial number used to trace the part throughout its lifecycle. This documentation often starts before the part is even made, with record-keeping about the batch(es) of raw materials from which it was formed. Then detailed records of its fabrication processes -- machining, heat-treating, etc. -- and quality inspection. On to where and when it was installed, through every step taken to maintain and service it.

For instance, on an aircraft engine turbine, this kind of detailed data is kept down to the level of each separate turbine blade.

Traceability is a religion in that world. Woe to any person or organization that drops the ball anywhere along the chain.

I'll still give it close to a 10, though it's taken a lot longer than I thought.

A possible serial number match from a flaperon that washed up yesterday on Réunion, an island in the Indian Ocean, should boost the effort to find more of the wreckage.

Although the black box will have stopped pinging by now, my guess is that it will still have recoverable data when, and if, it is found. Does anyone know for sure?

If the debris is in fact traced to a 777, how many lost 777s are there in the ocean. My guess, not many.

However, as the debris was found thousands of miles from the suspected crash site, probably due to the ocean's currents, looking for the remains of the plane becomes incredibly more problematical. They can't search the entire ocean - and even if they could, the cost would be astronomical.

If the debris is in fact traced to a 777, how many lost 777s are there in the ocean. My guess, not many.

However, as the debris was found thousands of miles from the suspected crash site, probably due to the ocean's currents, looking for the remains of the plane becomes incredibly more problematical. They can't search the entire ocean - and even if they could, the cost would be astronomical.

I think they've concluded there's only one missing 777, and that's Malaysian MH370. It looks like the number they've pulled is a maintenance number rather than a serial number but, as AdamSmith says, it should be unique to MH370. We'll know soon enough.

If the piece they found is from MH370, it will confirm that they've been looking in the right place.

Still plenty of ocean to search but, if they can tease any info at all from the flaperon and its location, along with ocean currents and any barnacles snagged en route, the search area may get narrowed a little bit. I've been impressed by how well they've used their snippets of data so far, and am hopeful they'll mine this one thoroughly as well.