Man finds possible Malaysian plane debris

MAPUTO, Mozambique -- An American adventurer said Thursday he discovered part of an aircraft on a sandbar off the coast of Mozambique and initially thought it was from a small plane, and not from a Malaysia Airlines flight that disappeared two years ago with 239 people aboard.

If the piece of tail section is confirmed to have come from Flight MH370, a small piece of the puzzle will have been found, but it might not be enough to help solve one of aviation's greatest mysteries.

Blaine Gibson described how a boat operator took him to a sandbar named Paluma and then called him over after seeing a piece of debris with "NO STEP" written on it.

"It was so light," said Gibson, who has told reporters he has spent a long time searching for evidence of missing Flight MH370.

Photos of the debris appear to show the fixed leading edge of the right-hand tail section of a Boeing 777, said a U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak publicly. Flight MH370 is the only known missing 777.

Gibson said the discovery happened after he decided to go "somewhere exposed to the ocean" on the last day of a trip to the Mozambican coastal town of Vilankulo.

Gibson, who is from Seattle, said the piece of debris is in the hands of civil aviation authorities in Mozambique, and he expects it to be transferred to their Australian counterparts.