French Prosecutor Confirms Found Wing Part Came From Missing MH370 Flight

PARIS (TheBlaze/AP) -- French investigators have formally identified a washed-up piece of airplane debris found in July on a remote island in the Indian Ocean as part of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, a Boeing 777 that disappeared more than a year ago with 239 people aboard.

In this July 29, 2015 file photo, French police officers inspect a piece of debris from a plane in Saint-Andre, Reunion Island. (AP Photo/Lucas Marie, File)

Investigators have been examining the wing part, called a flaperon, since it was flown to a French aeronautical research laboratory near Toulouse last month. Malaysian authorities had already declared that the wing fragment was from the missing jet, but until now French investigators couldn't say with certitude that it was the case.

The Paris prosecutor's office said in a statement Thursday that investigators used maintenance records to match a serial number found on the wing part with the missing Boeing.

"Today it is possible to state with certitude that the flaperon discovered on Reunion July 29, 2015 corresponds with that of Flight MH370," the prosecutor's statement said.

#France: Paris investigators confirm that debris found at Reunion island belong "w/certainty" to missing #MH370 plane pic.twitter.com/VCBonINYaw

— José Miguel Sardo (@jmsardo) September 3, 2015

The fragment was found more than 2,000 miles from the likely site of the crash. The map below shows where the plane lost contact in relation to where the part was discovered. The flight disappeared March 8, 2014.

Image source: Twitter/@anadoluagency

This graphic shows which part of the plane the flaperon is from.

French aviation experts finally conclude that Reunion wing debris 'certainly' from MH370 https://t.co/CckEWNlNIm pic.twitter.com/4dvaLYT4MS

— Scott Snowden (@LorumIpsum) September 3, 2015