The aircraft mechanism found behind the Ground Zero “mosque” site belongs to a Boeing 767 — the same model as the airliners used on 9/11 at the World Trade Center, police confirmed yesterday.
But aviation experts say a number stamped on the wreckage will likely not help determine which of the two 767s it came from.
That number — BOEING CSTG 65B84045 — is a “casting number” not unique to the part or to the plane, said Alan Lery of Turbo Resources International, an Arizona aircraft-parts seller.
It’s possible a number of parts on the mechanism have the same designation, he explained.
“Sometimes, the airlines track every single part number that comes with the plane,” he said. “But not likely this.”
Police said Boeing told them the part was from a 767. Sources said investigators suspect it’s from the second plane, United Airlines Flight 175, which is believed to have spread debris after hitting the south tower.
Surveyors working for the developer of a controversial Muslim cultural center at 51 Park Place found the part Wednesday in an 18-inch-wide space behind the building.
The mechanism — thought to be part of a landing gear — was found more than 80 feet from the only access point, a doorway at 45 Park Place, next door.
The NYPD is treating the space as a crime scene and guarded it yesterday. The part is expected to be removed tomorrow.
The number is visible on a section about five feet long and 17 inches wide. Aircraft-parts experts say that while the number may not be unique to either of the Boeing 767s, investigators may yet find a serial number or other traceable information on the mechanism.
More evidence is needed, said Chuck Horning, who chairs the Aircraft Maintenance Science Department at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida.
“Being that both aircraft were Boeing 767-200s, they both likely had components with the same casting number,” Horning said.
While the police believe that the mechanism was hidden behind 51 Park all 11 years since the attack, they say they are checking the possibility that it was put there in the interim.
One mystery is how a rope became entwined in the mechanism.
The city Medical Examiner’s Office plans to start searching Tuesday for human remains at the site, said spokeswoman Ellen Borakove.
The building at 51 Park is owned by Con Ed and has been leased for years by Soho Properties, which wants to convert it to a Muslim community center that would include prayer space.
That plan has been stalled for years by legal and financial woes.
Additional reporting by Larry Celona and Jamie Schram