Have any pieces of Flight 370 been confirmed found in the Indian Ocean since 2014?
Executive summary
Pieces of debris have been found on western Indian Ocean shores since MH370 disappeared in March 2014, and some of those items — most notably a right flaperon discovered on Réunion in July 2015 — were formally identified as coming from Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 [1] [2] [3]. Investigations and reporting say “several” or “more than 30” suspected fragments washed ashore on African coasts and Indian Ocean islands, with only a subset (commonly reported as three wing fragments) confirmed as MH370 hardware by authorities [4] [2] [5].
1. The first confirmed piece: Réunion’s flaperon — the smoking gun on a beach
The first physical item positively tied to MH370 was a right flaperon found on Réunion Island in late July 2015; Malaysian officials said experts “conclusively confirmed” that debris as coming from the missing Boeing 777, giving the strongest direct evidence that the aircraft ended in the Indian Ocean [1] [3]. That discovery changed the investigation’s character: before 2015 there had been only satellite and radar inferences; after 2015 there was verified wreckage from the aircraft on a western-Indian-Ocean shore [2] [3].
2. Multiple fragments washed ashore — many suspected, fewer confirmed
Reporting and official summaries note that dozens of items were recovered on coasts from Réunion to East Africa and Madagascar; outlets count “more than 30” suspected pieces and independent trackers list higher totals [4] [5]. However, authorities and investigative reports emphasize that only a limited number of fragments were formally attributed to MH370 — Reuters and other outlets cite three wing fragments as confirmed, while specialist sites and summaries document many more suspected finds that were investigated [4] [2] [5].
3. What “confirmed” means and why confirmation was selective
Confirmation required forensic matching of serial numbers, structural features and paint/part markings to the Boeing 777 and, where possible, to components of 9M‑MRO. The flaperon carried identifying stenciled markings that aided that match; other items lacked such clear identifiers or produced ambiguous laboratory results, so they remain “probable” or “possible” debris in public records [1] [2]. Sources note that while many pieces were consistent with a Boeing 777, formal attribution to MH370 was made in only a few cases [2] [4].
4. Where the confirmed debris were found — western Indian Ocean drift pattern
Confirmed and suspected fragments appeared along a broad western-Indian-Ocean swath: Réunion, Madagascar, Mozambique, Tanzania and other African coasts and islands — a pattern consistent with drift-model projections from a southern Indian Ocean incident site [3] [6] [7]. This geographic spread is why investigators focused underwater searches in the southern Indian Ocean, though seabed searches have not yet located the main wreckage [2] [7].
5. Deep‑sea searches have yet to find the main wreckage
Large-scale underwater searches, including a 120,000 km² effort and a later private Ocean Infinity search, have scanned vast areas without finding the aircraft’s wreckage on the seabed; media summaries state the wreckage “has never been located” despite debris finds [2] [8] [9]. Ocean Infinity’s later “no-find, no-fee” contract and resumed searches in 2025–2025 reflect ongoing efforts to translate surface debris evidence into a seabed discovery [1] [10].
6. Discrepancies in counts and why numbers vary between sources
Different trackers, family groups and media outlets give different totals (some count 30+ suspected pieces, specialist sites list 40+ items delivered to authorities). That divergence arises because sources distinguish between “found,” “delivered to authorities,” “investigated,” and “formally confirmed” — categories that are not uniformly reported [5] [4] [2]. Reuters and other mainstream outlets focus on items firmly confirmed by official forensic work [4].
7. Implications and remaining unknowns
Confirmed beach finds prove the aircraft or fragments entered the Indian Ocean, but they have not yet yielded the seabed wreckage or a definitive cause of disappearance; the main fuselage, engines and passengers’ remains remain undiscovered [8] [9]. Available sources do not mention discovery of the main wreckage or any new confirmed seabed finds since the debris recoveries summarized above [1] [4].
Limitations: this summary relies only on the provided reporting and compiled counts; official forensic documentation and some investigative details are summarized differently across sources, producing varying totals [5] [4]. Where sources disagree, I have presented both counts and the rationale for the discrepancy [2] [4].