About That Airplane Part That Was Supposed to Solve the MH370 Mystery

Another recent story says that there has been a delay in identification because several experts involved in the testing are on vacation [1].

[1] http://www.ibtimes.com/mh370-update-flaperon-missing-malaysi...

I found this an interesting story and wondered about the missing serial number, under what circumstances could that plate detach? I have not looked at one up close but they seem fairly firmly attached in stock photos from Boeing.

This part is not strictly accurate:

"While it’s easy to imagine a submarine or a scuba diver hovering peacefully 10 or 20 feet under the surface of the water, this is not something that inanimate objects are capable of doing on their own: Either they are more buoyant than water, in which case they float, or they are less buoyant, in which case they sink."

I have seen objects which start out floating (they have air pockets), then sink as they either leak some air or get debris attached to them, until they find their new 'neutral' point. While I have no idea if a flaperon would do this, it it not outside the realm of possibility.