Flight MH370 Update: Large Flap Section Found Off Tanzania From Missing Malaysia Airlines Plane

A large flap section found on the island of Pemba, off the coast of Tanzania, belongs to Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau said Thursday. The announcement by ATSB, which is leading the search for the Flight MH370, comes as the search for the missing plane is set to be suspended in December.

ATSB released photos of the flap section and explained why they believe the debris piece was from the outboard flap of a Boeing 777, the same aircraft as Flight MH370. Over the last few months, several debris pieces have been found, with some being linked to the missing jet. However, there is still no evidence as to what happened to the place which disappeared from radar on March 8, 2014, with 239 people on board while on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

"On arrival at the ATSB, several part numbers were immediately located on the debris that confirmed the preliminary identification. This was consistent with the physical appearance, dimensions and construction of the part," ATSB wrote. "All of the identification stamps had a second “OL” number, in addition to the Boeing part number, that were unique identifiers relating to part construction. The Italian part manufacturer recovered build records for the numbers located on the part and confirmed that all of the numbers related to the same serial number outboard flap that was shipped to Boeing as line number 404. Aircraft line number 404 was delivered to Malaysian Airlines and registered as 9M-MRO."

The ATSB announced last month that replicas they have made of a flaperon found last year in the French-controlled Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean will be used to determine how the debris, affected by the wind and the currents, drift.

Several conspiracy theories have surfaced over the plane's disappearance, with some allegations against the plane's captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah.

Over the weekend, reports surfaced that a debris piece found in Madagascar hinted at a fire on board the jet.