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AirAsia confirms wreckage from missing plane AirAsia confirms wreckage from missing plane
(about 2 hours later)
BEIJING — Airline officials in Indonesia confirmed Tuesday that bodies and debris found in the Java Sea were from the AirAsia flight that disappeared two days ago with 162 people aboard. BEIJING — Recovery teams pulled wreckage and bodies from the sea off Indonesia on Tuesday after an intensive three-day search for a missing passenger jet that plunged from storm-laced skies with 162 people aboard.
The statement came hours after wreckage was spotted following an intensive search. Executives from the carrier AirAsia confirmed the debris was from the plane that disappeared Sunday moments after the pilot asked to climb to a higher altitude in an apparent attempt to avoid rough weather.
“We are sorry to be here today under these tragic circumstances,” said AirAsia executive Sunu Widyatmoko in a statement issued in the Indonesian city of Surabaya, where the plane departed Sunday bound for Singapore. “We are sorry to be here today under these tragic circumstances,” said AirAsia executive Sunu Widyatmoko in a statement issued in the Indonesian city of Surabaya, where the plane departed for Singapore.
Earlier, Lt. Tri Wibowo, co-pilot of an Air Force Hercules C130 involved in the search effort, said his team had seen dozens of floating bodies and a lot of aircraft debris off the coast of Borneo. Indonesia’s president, Joko Widodo, thanked the international effort mobilized for the search, and then shifted his comments to the families of those on board.
“We thought that the passengers were still alive and waved at us for help. But when we approached closer [we saw] they were already dead,” Tri said, according to the Indonesian newspaper Kompas. “I feel your loss,” he said.
Near the debris site, an Indonesian Hercules plane also saw what looked like a shadow on the seabed in the shape of a plane about 100 miles southwest of the town of Pangkalan Bun on Borneo island. Even as bodies and flotsam were pulled aboard ships, experts were making plans to reach what was left of the Airbus A320-200 in waters up to 100 feet deep.
Local Indonesian media reported that an Indonesian warship involved in the search had retrieved 40 bodies. Indonesia authorities said divers and sonar-equipped ships headed to the site, about 100 miles southeast of the coast of Borneo. The top goal is recovery of the plane’s flight recorder, the so-called black box, in hopes of gaining clues on the cause of the crash.
Images on Indonesian television station TvOne showed a half-naked bloated body bobbing in the sea. Search and rescue teams were lowered on ropes from a hovering helicopter to retrieve the corpses. Indonesia’s search and rescue chief, Bambang Soelistyo, said the effort has been challenging because of waves up to 10 feet high. There are no signs of survivors, he said.
Relatives of the passengers sat together in a waiting room at the Surabaya airport watching the graphic details on television. Many screamed and wailed uncontrollably in grief. One middle-aged man collapsed and was rushed from the room on a stretcher. According to former accident investigator John Cox, the recorder — if found — would likely be analyzed by experts in countries, such as the United States or Australia, working alongside Indonesian authorities. It could take several days to fully study the data, he added.
The footage drew strong condemnation online. TvOne quickly apologized and subsequently blurred out the white shape when reshowing the footage. “In those boxes will be story of what brought down the AirAsia flight,” said Cox, a former captain for US Airways and now chief executive of the Washington-based consulting firm Safety Operating Systems.
AirAsia Chief Executive Tony Fernandes responded via Twitter that he was rushing to Surabaya. Among the critical questions is whether Flight 8501 broke up during flight or hit the water intact.
“Whatever we can do at Airasia we will be doing,” he said. “My heart is filled with sadness for all the families involved in QZ 8501. On behalf of AirAsia my condolences.” “It’s important to know because that tells you whether it was a force like a storm that destroyed the airplane in air or if it was a matter of the pilots losing control and never able to recover from it,” said Australia-based aviation security expert Desmond Ross.
The massive three-day search effort brought several false alarms. But Tuesday’s finds confirmed the worst. As night fell Tuesday, dozens of bodies were being carried to various ports along with an array of debris: A portable oxygen tank, a light blue wheeled suitcase, a portion of the inner layer of the aircraft cabin.
“The debris is red and white,” Djoko Murjatmodjo, acting director general of air transportation at the transportation ministry, told reporters. “We are checking if it’s debris from the aircraft. It’s probably from the body of the aircraft.” At the Surabaya airport, relatives of those on the flight broke down in tears as television images showed the recovery of bodies, some bloated by the sun and sea. Some hugged or collapsed in anguish. One man was carried out on a stretcher.
An AFP photographer aboard one of the search aircraft that spotted the debris, took several photos of the floating objects, which Indonesian officials described as resembling an emergency slide, plane door and other objects. The TV images drew strong condemnation online. The station, TvOne, quickly apologized and subsequently blurred out video of a corpse at sea.
The debris field was first spotted about six miles from the flight’s last known coordinates.
In a cruel twist, some rescuers believed they saw people waving for help. It turned out to be the sea swells tossing lifeless arms.
“When we approached closer [we saw] they were already dead,” said Lt. Tri Wibowo, co-pilot of an Air Force Hercules C130 involved in the search effort, according to the Indonesian newspaper Kompas.
The spotters on the plane also saw what looked like a shadow on the seabed in the shape of a plane.
Indonesian authorities said Monday they believed the plane was lying at the bottom of the sea, complicating the search and prompting them to ask the United States, Britain and France for more advanced equipment.Indonesian authorities said Monday they believed the plane was lying at the bottom of the sea, complicating the search and prompting them to ask the United States, Britain and France for more advanced equipment.
The Pentagon said that details of that assistance are being worked out but that it would probably include “air, surface and sub-surface detection capabilities.”The Pentagon said that details of that assistance are being worked out but that it would probably include “air, surface and sub-surface detection capabilities.”
In a statement issued late Monday, search officials said they have deployed 12 helicopters, 11 planes and 32 ships, including assets from Malaysia, Singapore and Australia, with more than 1,100 personnel involved. Even fishing boats have been tapped in the widespread search for the wreckage, authorities said.In a statement issued late Monday, search officials said they have deployed 12 helicopters, 11 planes and 32 ships, including assets from Malaysia, Singapore and Australia, with more than 1,100 personnel involved. Even fishing boats have been tapped in the widespread search for the wreckage, authorities said.
The U.S. Navy said the USS Sampson, a guided-missile destroyer that is already in the region, would join the search later Tuesday.The U.S. Navy said the USS Sampson, a guided-missile destroyer that is already in the region, would join the search later Tuesday.
The sister of the French co-pilot of the plane, Remi Plesel, told a radio station, “We want them to find the plane, to explain to us what happened.” But Renee Plesel said she realized that “when a plane falls out of the sky, there are hardly any survivors.” Until the discoveries Tuesday, the frustrating maritime search were eerily similar to those in the case of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which disappeared over the Indian Ocean in March. The whereabouts of the plane, with 239 people aboard, are still a mystery.
The sudden disappearance and frustrating maritime search were eerily similar to those in the case of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which disappeared over the Indian Ocean in March. The whereabouts of the plane, with 239 people aboard, are still a mystery. For the moment, the last moments of the AirAsia flight offer the only hint of what may have happened.
Indonesia’s state-owned navigation provider, AirNav, gave local media a detailed account Monday of Flight 8501’s last contact with air-traffic controllers Sunday. According to Indonesia’s state-owned navigation provider, AirNav, the pilot asked air traffic control at 6:12 a.m. on Sunday for permission to turn left to avoid bad weather. Permission was granted, the Jakarta Post reported.
Wisnu Darjono, AirNav’s safety director, said the pilot asked Soekarno-Hatta Airport’s air-traffic control at 6:12 a.m. for permission to turn left to avoid bad weather. Permission was granted, and the plane turned seven miles to its left flank, the Jakarta Post reported.
The pilot then asked to climb from 32,000 to 38,000 feet but did not explain why.The pilot then asked to climb from 32,000 to 38,000 feet but did not explain why.
Jakarta’s air-traffic control conferred with Singapore-based counterparts and agreed to allow the plane to increase its altitude to 34,000 feet because a second ­AirAsia flight, 8502, was flying at 38,000 feet. But by the time air-traffic controllers relayed the permission to climb at 6:14 a.m., there was no reply, Darjono said.Jakarta’s air-traffic control conferred with Singapore-based counterparts and agreed to allow the plane to increase its altitude to 34,000 feet because a second ­AirAsia flight, 8502, was flying at 38,000 feet. But by the time air-traffic controllers relayed the permission to climb at 6:14 a.m., there was no reply, Darjono said.
Experts said the plane’s disappearance has raised several tantalizing questions. In the central Philippines, meanwhile, an aircraft that is part of the AirAsia group overshot a runway after landing in windy conditions. There were no immediate reports of injuries among the 159 passengers and crew members on the AirAsia Zest flight.
Bad weather appeared to play a role, but it is unclear why the pilot was not able to avoid it earlier, Ross said, noting that modern commercial jets are equipped with radar that can spot bad weather more than 100 miles ahead. AirAsia Zest is partly owned by AirAsia Philippines.
The speed of the airplane is likely to be at the forefront of any investigation, said John Cox, a former accident investigator. Radar suggests that the plane was flying at a low speed, Cox said. Overly slow speed at a high altitude could cause an airplane to stall, with insufficient lift to sustain flight, he said. Deane reported from London and Murphy from Washington.
Geoffrey Thomas, editor of AirlineRatings.com, said he reviewed radar data of the flight obtained by other A320 pilots showing the plane at an altitude of 36,300 feet and climbing and traveling at 353 knots, or roughly 406 miles per hour — relatively slow for that altitude.
Deane reported from London.