Flight MH370 Update: New Debris In Mozambique Sparks Explosion Theory, Contradicts Rogue Pilot Claims

A new debris piece found off the coast of Mozambique has sparked a new theory that the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 exploded before it crashed into the southern Indian Ocean, media reports said Sunday, citing experts. The latest theory comes as Australian authorities near the end of the underwater search operation.

The piece of wreckage, which is a meter wide and long, was found on the east coast of Mozambique by a South African tour operator, Jean Viljoen. The operator reportedly described it as "kind of almost like a triangular shape." The debris, which is believed to be from the missing Flight MH370, has been handed over to local police for further investigation. According to experts, the wreckage is so badly damaged and mangled that it hints at a possible explosion rather than the theory that the plane was under the control of a pilot before crashing.

Last month, evidence surfaced in a new report that suggested the pilot of the missing Boeing 777-200 might have taken the plane on a premeditated suicidal flight. Leading Canadian aviation expert Larry Vance also claimed that the condition of the flaperon debris discovered last summer near Reunion Island indicated the plane had its wings extended when it hit the water. As the flaperon wasn't broken, Vance alleged that a human — maybe the pilot, Zaharie Ahmad Shah — had tried to execute a controlled crash or landing.

However, Malaysian authorities refuted the claims saying that "he (Zaharie) had simulated the flight path, but it is one of thousands of simulations to many parts of the world. We cannot, just based on this, confirm he did it."

Flight MH370 went missing on March 8, 2014, with 239 people on board while on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. A $180 million search to scour a 46,000-square-mile area has been ongoing for more than two years with no concrete clues as to the whereabouts of the plane.

Australia's Federal Transport and Infrastructure Minister Darren Chester announced last week that a “comprehensive report” on all aspects would also be made public when the operation ends in late December.

“This is in addition to the search area definition and debris analysis reports which have been released periodically throughout the search,” Chester added.

Meanwhile, Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization's oceanography department in the island state of Tasmania will receive six replicas of the flaperon, which was found in July 2015, to determine whether it is the wind or the currents that affect how they drift.

The flaperon was the first piece of wreckage to be recovered from the missing jet. Following this, several debris pieces have emerged that authorities believe most "likely" belong to the missing jet.