Article from Der Spiegel - Canadian expert believes plane was landed on the water by a pilot.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/...a-1107149.html
excerpt
Vance: A flaperon, found last year, has been confirmed as coming from MH370. And a piece of flap that showed up in June will doubtless be confirmed as coming from MH370. Those two pieces are wreckage -- and wreckage can be studied for clues.
SPIEGEL: What do they tell you?
Vance: Flaperons and flaps are high-lift devices. Pilots deploy them when they need to fly at lower speeds during the final stage of the flight. The photos clearly show that the trailing edges of these devices are severely damaged whereas the leading edges are virtually unharmed. This is an extremely significant piece of information.
SPIEGEL: Why?
Vance: There is simply no other conclusion you can make: The flaps were extended when the aircraft hit the water. The trailing edge was dragged over water for some time -- some seconds -- to erode the trailing edges of those pieces. This evidence is easy to read. The pressure from being dragged through the water exceeded the structural strength of the attachment points of those pieces. They flew off, fell back in the water and presented themselves in the state they are in.
SPIEGEL: Assuming the flaps were extended -- what exactly would that prove?
Vance: A lot. Hydraulics and electrics must have been available. One engine at least must have been running. The airplane did not run out of fuel as is often said. And most importantly: The flaps were selected that way. Somebody in the cockpit did that.