On July 29, 2015 a flaperon was found on the shore of the French island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean. This appeared to be part of flight MH370, the Boeing 777 that went missing without a trace on March 8, 2014.
The Aviation Safety Network database shows there have been several other commercial aircraft that were found after more than 12 months. The main difference with the case of MH370 is that in all other cases the entire wreckage, or what was left of it, was found. For MH370 just one part of the aircraft has thus far been located.
| Date missing | Aircraft type | Operator | Location | Flight type | Period until first find |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Aug. 1947 | Avro Lancastrian | BSAA | Argentina | Passenger | 52 yrs, 5 mo |
| 28 April 1947 | Lockheed 18 | TCAL | Canada | Passenger | 47 yrs, 5 mo |
| 15 August 1976 | Vickers Viscount | SAETA | Ecuador | Passenger | 26 yrs, 2 mo |
| 9 April 1948 | DC-3 | SCOLTA | Colombia | Cargo | 11 yrs, 2 mo |
| 19 Oct. 1990 | DC-3 | BAFIN | Bolivia | Cargo | ca 6 yrs |
| 4 Jan. 2008 | Let L-410 | Transaven | Caribbean Sea | Passenger | 5 yrs, 5 mo |
| 29 Oct. 1948 | Lockheed 14 | corporate | Mediterranean Sea | Executive | 5 yrs, 2 mo |
| 29 July 2007 | Antonov 12 | Business&Cargo Co. | D.R. Congo | Cargo | 5 yrs, 1 month |
| 23 April 1979 | Vickers Viscount | SAETA | Ecuador | Passenger | ca 5 yrs |
| 22 March 1952 | DC-3 | Maritime Central Aw. | Canada | Cargo | 1 yrs, 5 mo (523 days) |
| 8 March 2014 | Boeing 777-200 | Malaysia Airlines | Indian Ocean | Passenger | 1 yrs, 4 mo (508 days) |
| 14 Sept. 1954 | Lockheed 414 | John Fairfax & Sons | Australia | Cargo | 1 yrs, 3 mo (464 days) |
| 4 Nov. 1940 | Ju-52/3m | LAB | Bolivia | Passenger | 1 yrs, 2 mo (ca 423 days) |
Locations were the missing aircraft went down.