Some extremely serious doubts about the origins of two pieces of suspected debris from MH370 have been raised by US science writer Jeff Wise, as they arrived today in Australia for analysis.
The fragments in question, found on the Indian ocean shores of Mozambique in December and February, appeared to be genuine Boeing 777 parts, but always stood out as being remarkably clear of marine fouling.
Jeff Wise has published a detailed review of the forensic implications of prolonged water immersion on such debris and concluded that it is possible that “one or both of the Mozambique objects were never in the ocean at all.”
In his conclusion Jeff Wise says:
The absence of biofouling on a piece of suspected aircraft debris recovered in Mozambique in December, 2015 suggests that it entered the water no earlier than October of that year. The absence of biofouling on a piece of suspected aircraft debris recovered in Mozambique in February, 2016 suggests that it entered the water no earlier than January, 2016. It is entirely possible that one or both of the Mozambique objects were never in the ocean at all.