First I remember hearing that the flaperon had been extended for a landing. Question is - where was the landing?
I recalled a theory earlier that the plane was in trouble and had headed for an emergency landing before disappearing.
This theory made a lot of sense but later it was dismissed. Now I wonder about it again.
How soon before landing would they raise the flaperon? If it was raised for the landing and then the pilots went unconscious again, would it stay up until crashing or would it come off in the air?
On the other hand, if the plane crashed into the rough waters of the Indian Ocean, could the flaperon pop up on its own?
Here is the article on this theory as well as an article on the debunking of that theory.
http://www.wired.com/2014/03/mh370-electrical-fire/
http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-echochambers-26640114