The missing AirAsia flight has been found off the coast of Indonesia's Kalimantan coast according to a search and rescue team. Some bodies have been recovered according to local reports, but there are thought to be no survivors.
13 January 2015
An investigator at the National Transportation Safety Committee has confirmed to Reuters that the cockpit voice recorder from the wreck of an AirAsia passenger jet was retrieved from the Java Sea on Tuesday morning.
The second black box was retrieved and lifted from the wreck onto an Indonesian navy vessel on Tuesday morning, Indonesian news channel MetroTV said, quoting a transport ministry official. It is expected to be sent to the capital for analysis.
31 December 2014
#QZ8501 search: Backpack, food, kid's shoes found by Indonesia ship Bung Tomo: @detikcomhttp://t.co/fU1QeMQPFCpic.twitter.com/QiXysgpqA4
— Channel NewsAsia (@ChannelNewsAsia) December 31, 2014
One of the three newly recovered bodies was female dressed in a stewardess uniform, F. H. Bambang Soelistyo, chief of Indonesia's search and rescue agency said. The other two bodies were male.
Around 75 ambulances are waiting to receive bodies of the victims at Juanda International Airport. The remains will then be transported for forensics and identification.
Three additional bodies have been found in the morning, according to the National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS) chief, Channel News Asia reports. The total of six recovered bodies have not yet been brought to shore to Pangkalan Bun in Kalimantan due to bad weather.
Poor weather conditions are hampering recovery efforts off the island of Borneo.
"Our assets are standing by, but we can't dispatch divers yet because of the bad weather," Tatang Zaenudin, deputy operations officer of Indonesia's search and rescue agency, told The Wall Street Journal.
"We have to move quickly as [the meteorological agency] had warned us that the weather will get worse Friday," Zaenudin added.
Day 4 of #QZ8501 search focused on 4 sectors of 28x56 nautical miles: Malaysia @ChiefofNavyhttp://t.co/fU1QeMQPFCpic.twitter.com/CJqhiqjBZe
— Channel NewsAsia (@ChannelNewsAsia) December 31, 2014
30 December 2014
A pilot flying a C-130 Hercules aircraft taking part in the search operation said he spotted seven or eight bodies in the water at the Karimata Strait on Tuesday, Indonesian media outlet Kompas reported. He added that three of the bodies appeared to be holding hands.
The US has announced it is sending a second ship to help in the recovery operation. The USS Fort Worth is preparing to leave Singapore and will be at the scene in a day or two.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo has given a brief news conference, which did not go into detail about possible causes of the crash. He thanked countries in the region that have helped Indonesia in the search for the plane and urged relatives of the missing passengers to stay strong in this “difficult moment.”
The Indonesian navy says they have pulled more than 40 dead bodies out of the sea.
#BREAKING: More than 40 bodies retrieved in AirAsia search: Indonesian navy
— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) December 30, 2014
Pictures of floating bodies were broadcast on local television and were watched by relatives of the missing, who had gathered at a crisis center in Surabaya. Many broke down in tears, while several people collapsed and had to be helped away, according to a Reuters reporter.
"You have to be strong," the mayor of Surabaya, Tri Rismaharini, said as she comforted relatives. "They are not ours, they belong to God."
Body bags and supplies are already being loaded onto a plane to travel to the area where the bodies and debris have been spotted.
An Indonesian search and rescue agency official has said the debris in the Java Sea is that of the missing AirAsia plane. according to Reuters.
A map showing where the debris of the AirAsia airplane has been found.
Map illustrating where #QZ8501 debris was sighted off Pangkalan Bun near West Kalimantan http://t.co/GPtCbn7zeDpic.twitter.com/rqospSiM8n
— Channel NewsAsia (@ChannelNewsAsia) December 30, 2014
The CEO of AirAsia, Tony Fernandes say he is making his way to Surabaya immediately, following the discovery of bodies and debris off Indonesia's Kalimantan coast.
I am rushing to Surabaya. Whatever we can do at Airasia we will be doing.
— Tony Fernandes (@tonyfernandes) December 30, 2014
My heart is filled with sadness for all the families involved in QZ 8501. On behalf of AirAsia my condolences ... http://t.co/OJGobL93cR
— Tony Fernandes (@tonyfernandes) December 30, 2014
The Indonesian National Search and Rescue Director Supriyadi has said that a shadow has been spotted on the seabed that is believed to be that of the missing AirAsia airplane, according to AFP.
#BREAKING Plane spots 'shadow' on seabed believed to be AirAsia jet: Indonesia search chief
— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) December 30, 2014
Indonesian officials coming off a helicopter on Borneo island say they have recovered several bodies, which were floating in the sea near to where the missing AirAsia plane was last located by radar. Images on local television showed at least one bloated corpse, according to AP.
MORE: Bodies found floating near where missing AirAsia flight last seen have been brought to Indonesian navy ship: http://t.co/hNmQMFyVGp
— The Associated Press (@AP) December 30, 2014
The agency added that the bodies were swollen but were intact. They were subsequently brought to an Indonesian naval ship, the National Search and Rescue Director Supriyadi told reporters. He added that none of the corpses were wearing life jackets.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the navy, Manahan Simorangkir told loval television that several people had been found, but would not elaborate on whether they were dead or alive.
The bodies, swollen but intact, were brought to an Indonesian navy ship, National Search and Rescue Director SB Supriyadi told reporters in the nearest town, Pangkalan Bun. The corpses did not have life jackets on.
AFP are reporting that the Indonesian search and rescue team has found a body during its search for the AirAsia plane.
#BREAKING Body found in sea search for AirAsia Flight #QZ8501: Indonesian search and rescue
— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) December 30, 2014
The head of the Indonesian search and rescue agency says he is 95 percent sure that the debris that has been found off the Kalimantan coast is that from the missing AirAsia plane, which was reported by Reuters.
“I am 95 percent sure that the location pictured is debris suspected to be from the aircraft,” Indonesia Search and Rescue Agency chief Soelistyo told reporters.
Objects resembling a body, luggage, a life vest and debris, which is believed to be part of the AirAsia plane were spotted by a pilot, who has been involved in the search operation according to local media, which was reported by Reuters.
"The body seemed bloated," according to First Lieutenant Tri Wibowo, who as on board a Hercules aircraft, which was helping the search operation to find the plane, Kompas.com reported on their website.
The discovery of the debris was made at around 11.00 local time, after the teams had been searching for around five hours. They were found in the Karimata Strait, which is west of the Indonesian part of Borneo.
Red and white debris found off Indonesia's Kalimantan coast is likely to be part of the AirAsia airplane, according to a transportation ministry official, who also added that the jet was presumed to have crashed in shallow waters.
#QZ8501: Indonesian civil aviation chief Djoko Murjatmodjo giving a press conference now. pic.twitter.com/uz8W78BkhJ
— Tony Chow (@tonychow41) December 30, 2014
"The debris is red and white," Djoko Murjatmodjo, who is the acting director general of air transportation at the transportation ministry told repoters. "We are checking if it's debris from the aircraft. It's probably from the body of the aircraft."
Based on the size and coloring of the debris, it was likely to be part of the missing jet, Murjatmodjo added.
This is some of the debris that has been spotted in the Java Sea. Indonesian authorities have confirmed that items resembling an emergency slide and a plane door have been spotted, which was reported by AFP.
#QZ8501: Objects seen in sea resembling life raft, life jackets http://t.co/aLZfxf5b30#AIRASIApic.twitter.com/nFgiSUd5YY
— RT (@RT_com) December 30, 2014
The location of the debris was found around 10 kilometers away from the last spot the plane was recorded on radar before it went missing.
Indonesian TV has shown footage of objects in the water, stating they could possibly be parts of missing AirAsia plane.
The objects are 10km from where the jet was last captured by radar, and resemble a life raft, life jackets and long orange tubes.
Items resembling an emergency slide and a plane door have been spotted during the search for the missing AirAsia flight, Indonesian authorities have stated, as cited by AFP.
The US State Department has confirmed it is sending a destroyer to the Java Sea, to assist in the search for AirAsia flight QZ8501. The ship may be coming with detection equipment deployed by air, surface, and sub-surface.
"At the request of the government of Indonesia and as directed by US Pacific Command, US Pacific Fleet has authorized US 7th Fleet to position USS Sampson (DDG 102) in the general search area for missing Air Asia Flight QZ8501 to support search operations," the US Pacific Command said in a statement.
Indonesia widens air search for #QZ8501 from 5 areas to a more detailed 13-area search zone today pic.twitter.com/ez65m6jpAu
— Sumisha Naidu (@sumishanaidu) December 30, 2014
Smoke has reportedly been seen on an island in the area where AirAsia flight QZ8501 disappeared from the radar.
29 December 2014
The USS Sampson, a guided-missile destroyer, is on its way to the Java Sea to assist in the search for the missing plane, a senior US military official told CNN.
USS Sampson (http://t.co/n3hyhSiC3A) is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer; can hold two Sea Hawk helicopters. #QZ8501pic.twitter.com/asB86Sd08c
— John Walton (@thatjohn) December 29, 2014
The search for missing AirAsia Flight QZ8501 resumed on Day 3, with around 30 ships, 15 aircraft, and over 1,000 search and rescue personnel mobilized for a multi-national search.
Indonesia has asked the United States for assistance in locating the missing plane, a spokesman for the US State Department has said, which was reported by Reuters.
The Australian Defense Force declined to comment on the potential sighting of the plane due to the fact that Indonesia is overseeing the search.
An Australian Orion plane has spotted objects in the sea in the AirAsia search area, according to Jakarta's Air Force base commander Rear Marshal Dwi Putranto, cited by AP.
The objects were found 700 miles (1,120km) from the location where the plane lost contact.
“However, we cannot be sure whether it is part of the missing AirAsia plane,” Putranto says, “We are now moving in that direction, which is in cloudy conditions.”
The missing AirAsia plane and the two aircraft Malaysian Airlines lost earlier this year were insured by one German company – Allianz.
"We can confirm that Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty UK (AGCS) is the lead reinsurer for AirAsia, for aviation hull and liability insurance," an Allianz spokeswoman said in a statement emailed to Reuters.
Fishermen from Belitung Island, near which QZ8501 lost contact with air traffic control, have said they heard an explosion approximately at the time the plane disappeared from radars, Indonesian media report.
"There are a number of fishermen who heard the explosion, but it’s yet to be checked," a member of Tagana, a disaster management group, as cited by Bangka Pos news website.
Beijing has offered to send aircraft and ships to help in the search for the missing AirAsia flight.
“The Chinese side has already said to Indonesia that it is willing to urgently send aircraft and ships to participate in search and rescue, and will provide other aid according to Indonesian needs,” China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Malaysia has sent three vessels and three aircraft to help the Indonesia-led search operation for QZ8501, according to the country’s Transport Minister, Liow Tiong Lai.
S'pore to deploy #C130 at noon; 3rd vessel this evening, says Dr Ng Eng Hen http://t.co/fo1gVYsrlT#QZ8501pic.twitter.com/YUt71zVx7a
— darren™ (@darrenLTA) December 29, 2014
Indonesia will review the operations of Indonesia AirAsia, the local unit of Malaysia's AirAsia, after one of its jets carrying 162 people went missing on Sunday, presumed crashed in the Java Sea.
"We will review AirAsia Indonesia to make sure its performance can be better in the future," Indonesian Transportation Minister Ignasius Jonan told reporters on Monday.
"Much will be reviewed in terms of its business operations and in terms of air transportation business, so that there are safety improvements."
(Reuters)
Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency chief said the missing AirAsia jetliner is now most likely at the bottom of the sea.
“The last coordinates were in the sea so it is likely it is on the sea floor,” Chief Marshal Bambang Soelistyo told a press conference at Soekarno Hatta Airport in Jakarta.
A sonar system that can detect to a depth of up to 2,000 meters below water is being used in the search, he said.
Locating #QZ8501 will pose a big challenge; BASARNAS getting help from other agencies, countries: Search chief http://t.co/I2zuD5KQZ9
— Channel NewsAsia (@ChannelNewsAsia) December 29, 2014
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MT @GerryS: Search for #QZ8501 should make better progress today. storm clouds moved east from where it went missing http://t.co/m0cKqY5Aw9”
— Vinay Bhaskara (@TheABVinay) December 29, 2014
AirAsia shares fell 11.6 percent after flight QZ8501 went missing on Sunday, Reuters reported.
The Malaysia-based budget airline saw its shares plummet as much as 12.9 percent, to 2.56 ringgit, at 01:02 GMT on Monday. According to Reuters, this is the lowest point for AirAsia since November 28; its stock has gained 21.4 percent since the beginning of 2014.
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#QZ8501: "We are focusing search area in waters on east, north part of Belitung island": Indonesia Air Force official http://t.co/I9lXiR4BQ4
— Channel NewsAsia (@ChannelNewsAsia) December 29, 2014
Indonesian officials at #Surabaya airport with whiteboard on search and rescue ops for #QZ8501. @aljenglish@AJELivepic.twitter.com/tCn8K6Bov8
— Scott Heidler (@ScottHeidler) December 29, 2014
Former pilot and aircraft safety controller Desmond Ross told RT that a pilot’s error may be to blame in the situation with AirAsia flight QZ8501, as crews are trained to avoid areas of turbulence in advance.
“You don’t do that [fly into areas of extreme turbulence] unless you absolutely have to, you avoid bad weather – not only because of stress on the aircraft, but also for the comfort of the passengers. So whenever it's possible, you go around such storms,” Ross said, adding that it is unclear to him why the AirAsia pilots ended up in that situation.
According to Ross, instead of trying to fly above the storm – which is so far the last known maneuver the Airbus crew reported on – the pilots could have turned back to the airport they had departed from, as a safety precaution. “If the weather is so bad, you shouldn’t try to fly into it, you should go back and land.”
Other than having sophisticated weather radars that detect areas of strong turbulence, modern aircraft are designed to operate in all conditions – even extreme ones – the aviation expert stressed. He reminded that thunderstorms happen on a daily basis in the region during this time of the year, as it is monsoon season.
Singapore has sent its second military transport aircraft, C-130 Hercules, to help with the resumed Indonesian-led search operation.
Australia has offered its help with search efforts for the missing AirAsia flight, sending an AP-3C Orion Maritime Patrol Aircraft on Monday to join the Indonesian-led operation.
“The RAAF AP-3C Orion aircraft has a well proven capability in search and rescue carriers maritime search radar coupled with infra-red and electro-optical sensors,” Air Chief Marshal Binskin said in a statement.
Here's the plane Australia has deployed to help search for missing #AirAsia Flight #QZ8501 - AP-3C Orion pic.twitter.com/A2SOIi115F
— Adam Todd (@_AdamTodd) December 29, 2014
28 December 2014
Search and rescue operations have been resumed for the missing AirAsia jet, Indonesian network TV1 reported.
Eight boats, two aircraft, and three helicopters have reportedly been deployed to search for the missing plane.
UPDATE: With daybreak, the search for missing @AirAsia flight #QZ8501 has resumed: TV1 report http://t.co/I9lXiR4BQ4pic.twitter.com/9BlI3yg9Lx
— Channel NewsAsia (@ChannelNewsAsia) December 28, 2014
Approximate last location of #QZ8501, plotted on weather image from @EarthUncutTV. pic.twitter.com/iHknp2AK8V
— John Walton (@thatjohn) December 28, 2014
The US State Department has said it's willing to help with the search for the missing AirAsia plane, and also confirmed no US citizens were on board.
The Malaysian Navy has said it's sending three ships to the area to join the search for the missing aircraft. The Malaysian armed forces will also send a C-130 Hercules aircraft to help in rescue missions.
Chi Man Choi, a British passenger and his two year old daughter, from Hull in Yorkshire, are among the missing on the vanished air Asia flight. Two other members of his family are believed to have boarded an earlier flight.
What we know of the missing AirAsia flight QZ8501:
- The plane was on its way from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore, when it lost contact with air traffic control early on Sunday morning
- It went missing near Indonesian Belitung Island in the Java Sea
- Before disappearing from radars, the plane requested deviation due to bad weather. The aircraft was flying at 32,000 feet and had asked to go to 38,000 feet
- There were 162 people on board: 155 passengers and 7 crew members. Most of the people on the missing flight – 155 – were Indonesians. There were also 3 South Koreans, 1 Malaysian, 1 Singaporean, 1 Briton and 1 Frenchman
- Indonesia is being assisted by Singapore, Malaysia and Australia in conducting the search and rescue operation, which has been halted for the night and will resume at 06:00 in the morning.
- The missing aircraft is an A320-200. It was delivered to AirAsia, Malaysian budget airline, in October 2008 and had since carried out 13,600 flights. AirAsia had never had a fatal accident in its 20-year-long history.
The search for the AirAsia plane has been suspended for the night and will be resumed tomorrow, Indonesian officials say.
AirAsia Indonesia has updated information on the nationality of passengers and crew of the missing plane, adding a UK citizen to the list and confirming a Frenchman was part of the crew. AirAsia estimates there were 162 people on board, despite the transport ministry having said earlier there were 161.
[Updated statement] QZ8501 as at 6:54pm (GMT+8) http://t.co/5QBdOXGiwe
— AirAsia (@AirAsia) December 28, 2014
Flight QZ5801 dispatch information has been made public. It shows the plane took off with 8,296 kg of fuel, substantially more than the planned consumption for the flight - 5211 kg.
Flight dispatch release of missing AirAsia flight #QZ8501 as (from Indon. Min. of Transport ) pic.twitter.com/Vs5fGQVihO
— AviationSafety (@AviationSafety) December 28, 2014
Singapore, Malaysia and Australia have offered Indonesia help in the search for missing flight QZ8501. Malaysia is sending vessels and a C130 aircraft while Singapore is also sending a C130, officials said, as cited by Reuters.
No wreckage of flight QZ5801 has been found, an Indonesian Navy official told the BBC. He added weather conditions were poor in the search area.
Only about 1h our of daylight left in #QZ8501 search area. pic.twitter.com/LpdKRSCC3V
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) December 28, 2014
A British national was on board missing AirAsia flight QZ8501, according to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).
"We have been informed by the local authorities that one British national was on board. Their next of kin has been informed, and we stand ready to provide consular assistance," an FCO official said.
Malaysia Airlines, which lost two of its Boeing jumbo jets earlier this year, empathizes with AirAsia.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with all family and friends of those on board QZ8501,” Malaysia airlines said on Twitter.
The missing aircraft, an A320-200, was delivered to AirAsia in October 2008 and had since “accumulated approximately 23,000 flight hours during some 13,600 flights,” says an official statement by Airbus. The company has promised to assist in the investigation of the plane’s disappearance.
Aircraft operating #AirAsia fight #QZ8501 had 23,000 flight hrs in some 13,600 flights @Airbushttp://t.co/LhFehpIYB0pic.twitter.com/161nomRGAi
— RT (@RT_com) December 28, 2014
It’s been more than eight hours since contact was lost with AirAsia flight QZ8501. The plane only had fuel for 4.5 hours.
Indonesian national search and rescue radars haven’t detected signals from the emergency location transmitter, says Sutrisno, the head of Basarnas, the national agency in Jakarta, as cited by Detik.com. The transmitter becomes operational once a plane is struck from outside or falls into the water. Either the plane managed to land smoothly or the transmitter was defective, the official says.
There weren't seven but six crew members on board QZ8501, says Joko Muryo Atmodjo, air transportation director at the Indonesian Transport Ministry. That makes the overall number of people on the plane 161, not 162, as previously believed. There were 23 no-shows on the flight, according to passenger manifest.
#AirAsia#QZ8501 passenger manifest shows most passengers from #Indonesiahttp://t.co/RST29ptEXtpic.twitter.com/AdMvekXleh
— Hindustan Times (@htTweets) December 28, 2014
PHOTO: Relatives, firends look at passenger list of #QZ8501 flight at Juanda Airport, Surabaya http://t.co/LhFehpIYB0pic.twitter.com/h1surd3qi7
— RT (@RT_com) December 28, 2014
No distress signal had been sent from the missing plane, said Joko Muryo Atmodjo, air transportation director at the Indonesian Transport Ministry, according to Reuters.
The missing plane’s captain, who goes by only one name, Iriyanto, usual for Indonesians, had a total of 6,100 flying hours, AirAsia says. The first officer - presumably French pilot Remi Emmanual Plesel - had logged 2,275 flying hours.
#QZ8501: #AirAsia never had fatal accidents in its history http://t.co/LhFehpIYB0http://t.co/SP35ymn6FG@josungkimpic.twitter.com/GYTCzNDToH
— RT (@RT_com) December 28, 2014
Flight tracking resource Flightradar24 has asked users not to be deceived by the status “landed” assigned to flight QZ8501, as that’s how missing planes are branded by the company’s data provider.
The #QZ8501 status on Flightradar24 says "landed". This status comes from our data provider and is common when data for a flight is missing
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) December 28, 2014
There were 138 adults, 16 children and 1 infant, and 2 pilots and 5 cabin crew on board, according to the latest statement from AirAsia. Among the total of 162 people on board there were 156 Indonesians, one Singaporean, one Malaysian, one French, and three South Koreans.
Updated statement: QZ8501 http://t.co/sJ008zEgUm
— AirAsia (@AirAsia) December 28, 2014
The missing aircraft had its last scheduled maintenance on November 16, 2014.
Airport staff holds up a sign at Changi's T2 to direct family members & friends seeking info on @AirAsia#QZ8501. pic.twitter.com/vcM6spzWVi
— ST Foreign Desk (@STForeignDesk) December 28, 2014
AirAsia says the missing plane had requested deviation due to weather before communication was lost.
The aircraft had been flying at 32,000 feet and had asked to fly at 38,000 feet to avoid clouds, said Joko Muryo Atmodjo, air transportation director at the Indonesian Transport Ministry, according to Reuters.
Airplane wreckage has reportedly been found east of Belitung Island in Indonesia, according to CCTV. The information hasn’t yet been confirmed by Air Asia.
The plane is believed to have gone missing between Belitung Island and Kalimantan in Indonesia
"We are coordinating with the rescue team and looking for its position. We believe it is somewhere between Tanjung Pandan, a town on Belitung Island, and Kalimantan," Indonesia's air transportation director-general Djoko Murjatmodjo said, according to AFP.
This is an estimated position of #QZ8501 at 23:18 UTC when AirNav Indonesia say they lost radar contact pic.twitter.com/IMMht5xbEG
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) December 28, 2014
AirAsia flight number QZ8501, bound from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore, has lost contact with air traffic control. The missing flight is an Airbus A320-200 with up to 162 people on board.