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Vital part of AirAsia plane found in sea
P { margin-bottom: 0.21cm; } A part of the aircraft tail that might house the cockpit voice and data flight recorders which could explain why AirAsia flight QZ8501 crashed into the Java Sea has been found, the head of the search team confirmed today.
A further three bodies have also been found from the flight, which disappeared from air traffic control radar screens on December 28 as it flew from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore with 162 people on board.
So far, only 40 bodies have been recovered from the sea and no survivors. Authorities believe many of the passengers may still be strapped inside the plane’s fuselage, but bad weather has hampered their search for the wreckage, which they believe is lying on the seabed.
The tail fin, which might contain the ‘black boxes’ that should have recorded the final minutes of the flight was spotted by tems of divers and unmanned underwater vehicles.
The cause of the crash is still unknown, but the pilot had requested from air traffic controllers permission to change course due to bad weather minutes before it disappeared off the radar.
Earlier today, AirAsia founder Tony Fernandez tweeted: "I am led to believe the tail section has been found. If right part of tail section then the black box should be there."
Several Indonesian air traffic control officials have been questioned amid allegations that AirAsia did not have a licence to operate flights from Surabaya to Singapore on the day it crashed. Reports claim that it only had permission to operate the route on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays but it crashed on a Sunday.
AirAsia’s icence to operate flights from Surabaya to Singapore have been suspended pending the outcome of an inquriy, which the transport ministry said will be completed by Friday. AirAsia, it said, is co-operating fully with the inquiry.
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Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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