The Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200ER bearing registration 9M-MRO had a history free of major incidents prior to its disappearance on 8 March. However the aircraft was reportedly involved in a minor ground collision two years ago which resulted in significant damage to a wingtip.
According to Flightglobal’s Ascend Online Fleets database, 9M-MRO bears manufacturer serial number 28420 and its line number is 404.It was ordered in January 1996, and MAS elected to change the variant in 1998. In November 2002 the carrier conducted a sale & leaseback transaction for the aircraft with Penerbangan Malaysia Berhad. The completion of the aircraft’s finance term is due in 31 May 2014.
The aircraft reportedly suffered a ground incident in August 2012 when its wingtip collided with the tail of a China Eastern Airlines Airbus A340 while taxiing in Shanghai. This incident is not recorded by the Ascend accident database which generally does not include minor events where the insurance claim is less than the deductible (for widebodies this is $1 million). The Aviation Safety Network reports that the 777's wing tip broke off and "hung on the tail" of the A340.
According to Ascend, the 777's minor variant is 777-2H6ER. It is powered by two Rolls-Royce Trent 892 engines, and its maximum take-off weight is 632,500lbs.
It is configured with 35 business and 247 economy class seats.
Story amended to include information about 2012 ground collision
Source: Cirium Dashboard
