When their pleas went unheeded, they banded together and traveled to Madagascar to encourage residents to keep an eye out for more debris. "Nathan believes the governments' failure to search for coastal debris may have resulted in missed clues. They confirmed, firstly, that the aircraft went down somewhere in the Indian Ocean. A pilot attempting a soft landing would have extended the flaps.The flaperon and other debris also helped officials narrow down the potential search zone. To him, the debris that has been found is the most credible evidence investigators have.

Source: Economic Times January 18, 2017 07:29 UTC