AirAsia disaster: Victim with life jacket raises questions about last minutes

As rescue crews struggled with high winds and rough seas in their efforts to locate the passengers and crew aboard AirAsia Flight QZ8501, officials began raising new questions on how the disaster unfolded. At least 10 bodies have been recovered from the water, some fully clothed, which could indicate the Airbus A320-200 was intact when it crashed into the Java Sea on Sunday. One of the bodies was with a life jacket, which suggests those on board had time before the aircraft hit the water or before it sank, though the pilots did not issue a distress signal. Investigators also noted that radar data indicates the airliner made an “unbelievably” steep climb before it crashed, possibly pushing it beyond the plane’s limits. Meantime, officials also say they may have found the plane on the ocean floor off Borneo, after sonar detected a large, dark object beneath waters near where debris and bodies were found on the surface.

We are all standing by. If we want to evacuate bodies from the water, it’s too difficult. The waves are huge and it’s raining.

Dwi Putranto, heading the air force search effort in Pangalan Bun on Borneo

Flight QZ8501 vanished during bad weather on Sunday, about 40 minutes into its flight from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore. The plane disappeared after its pilot failed to get permission to fly higher to avoid bad weather because of heavy air traffic. It was traveling at 32,000 feet and had asked to fly at 38,000 feet. When air traffic controllers granted permission for a rise to 34,000 feet a few minutes later, they received no response from the aircraft. About 30 ships and 21 aircraft from Indonesia, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and the United States have been involved in the search for the plane.

I feel a deep loss over this disaster and pray for the families to be given fortitude and strength.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo

World QZ8501