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The American tourist who helped find a piece of wreckage that may have belonged to MH370 hopes the debris, if connected with the missing airliner, can provide a clue.

Blaine Gibson chartered a boat and organized a trip over the weekend on the coast of Mozambique. The owner of the boat and Gibson found the plane part washed ashore on a sandbar.

"It never occurred to me that I would find something like this here. It's almost like a dream. I don't know if it's from 370 or another plane. Whatever it is, even if it's not from 370, it raises awareness that people need to look for stuff on beaches," said Gibson, who has been involved in the search for MH370 as a private citizen.

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He is also part of an independent group that interpreted data in a bid to find the missing plane.

It's not unusual for private people and companies to get involved in searches for missing planes, especially when the search has gone on for a long time.

After the underwater search for MH370 was postponed, Australia said it would negotiate with private contractors to conduct the next phase. Authorities chose the Dutch firm Fugro Survey to carry out the Indian Ocean search.

MH370 families at one point sought to raise $5 million to help find answers about the missing flight.

Gibson told CNN his "heart was pounding" when he first saw the wreckage, but expressed caution.

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"The chances are pretty slim that it's the plane we are interested in," he said.

Still, Gibson, who has met some people who had family members on the flight, recognizes the potential impact of his find.

"These are real people with real pain. Anything that can bring answers, I want to help do," he said about the victims' friends and families.

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* By Rene Marsh and Don Melvin CNN NEWS