AirAsia: Divers search tail section wreckage for flight recorders

Scores of divers plunged into the Java Sea on Thursday to search the wreckage of an AirAsia jet for the black box recorders that could reveal why the plane crashed, Indonesia’s search and rescue agency said. The tail of the plane, which houses the recorders, was found on Wednesday, upturned on the sea bed about 20 miles from the plane’s last known location at a depth of around 100 feet. AirAsia Flight 8501 vanished from radar screens over the northern Java Sea on Dec. 28, less than halfway into a two-hour flight from Indonesia’s second-biggest city of Surabaya to Singapore. There were no survivors among the 162 people on board. The cause of the crash remains a mystery, and authorities hope the flight data and the cockpit voice recorders will provide clues.

After we found the tail, our plan is to do everything step by step. First we will [check whether] the black box is still at its place, in the tail, or if it has detached.

Fransiskus Bambang Soelistyo, head of the search and rescue agency

A total of 84 divers are in ships in the vicinity and teams began searching the jet’s tail  early Thursday, with visibility poor and strong currents still impeding efforts, said Fransiskus Soelistyo, head of Indonesia’s search and rescue agency. Should diving teams confirm the location of the recorders, the tail will probably be plucked out of the sea using a crane capable of lifting 70 tonnes. Ships with acoustic “pinger locators” designed to pick up signals from the black boxes were at the location but were no longer being used, in a possible sign of confidence among Indonesian officials that the recorders will be found soon.

World QZ8501