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AirAsia crash: object on sonar may be fuselage, say searchers AirAsia crash: object on sonar may be fuselage, say searchers
(less than a minute later)
Indonesian search teams have said a sonar scan may have located the fuselage of the AirAsia airliner that crashed two weeks ago with the loss of all 162 people on board.Indonesian search teams have said a sonar scan may have located the fuselage of the AirAsia airliner that crashed two weeks ago with the loss of all 162 people on board.
Searchers have also been detecting pings, believed to be from the aircraft’s black box flight recorders, near where the tip of the Airbus A320’s tail was raised on Saturday. The rear fuselage section that contains the recorders was not attached to the tail.Searchers have also been detecting pings, believed to be from the aircraft’s black box flight recorders, near where the tip of the Airbus A320’s tail was raised on Saturday. The rear fuselage section that contains the recorders was not attached to the tail.
AirAsia flight 8501 lost contact with air traffic control during thundery weather on 28 December less than halfway into a two-hour flight from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore. There were no survivors.AirAsia flight 8501 lost contact with air traffic control during thundery weather on 28 December less than halfway into a two-hour flight from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore. There were no survivors.
Supriyadi, operations co-ordinator for Indonesian search and rescue, said a sonar scan had revealed an object measuring 10 metres by 4 metres by 2.5 metres on the sea floor.Supriyadi, operations co-ordinator for Indonesian search and rescue, said a sonar scan had revealed an object measuring 10 metres by 4 metres by 2.5 metres on the sea floor.
“They suspect it is the body of the plane. There is a big possibility that the black box is near the body of the plane,” said Supriyadi, speaking in the town of Pangkalan Bun, the base for the search effort on Borneo.“They suspect it is the body of the plane. There is a big possibility that the black box is near the body of the plane,” said Supriyadi, speaking in the town of Pangkalan Bun, the base for the search effort on Borneo.
“A team of divers has already been sent to prove this data. The diving operation has started,” he said.“A team of divers has already been sent to prove this data. The diving operation has started,” he said.
Forty-eight bodies have been found in the Java Sea off Borneo and the fuselage would likely contain more remains.Forty-eight bodies have been found in the Java Sea off Borneo and the fuselage would likely contain more remains.
“If it is the body of the plane then we will first evacuate the victims. Secondly we will search for the black box,” Supriyadi said.“If it is the body of the plane then we will first evacuate the victims. Secondly we will search for the black box,” Supriyadi said.
Strong winds, currents and high waves have been hampering efforts to reach other large pieces of suspected wreckage detected by sonar on the sea floor.Strong winds, currents and high waves have been hampering efforts to reach other large pieces of suspected wreckage detected by sonar on the sea floor.
Another official involved in the search said three ships had detected pings about two miles (4km) from where the plane’s tail tip was raised on Saturday, in water about 30 metres deep.Another official involved in the search said three ships had detected pings about two miles (4km) from where the plane’s tail tip was raised on Saturday, in water about 30 metres deep.
If and when the recorders are found and taken to the capital, Jakarta, for analysis, it could take up to two weeks to download data, investigators have said, although the information could be accessed in as little as two days if the devices are not badly damaged.If and when the recorders are found and taken to the capital, Jakarta, for analysis, it could take up to two weeks to download data, investigators have said, although the information could be accessed in as little as two days if the devices are not badly damaged.
On Saturday teams of divers in rubber dinghies battled the swell to attach inflatable balloons to the tail tip, which was later hauled onto a rescue vessel.On Saturday teams of divers in rubber dinghies battled the swell to attach inflatable balloons to the tail tip, which was later hauled onto a rescue vessel.
The aircraft carries cockpit voice and flight data recorders – or black boxes – near its tail but once the wreckage was visible it quickly became apparent that not enough of the rear section was attached to contain the devices.The aircraft carries cockpit voice and flight data recorders – or black boxes – near its tail but once the wreckage was visible it quickly became apparent that not enough of the rear section was attached to contain the devices.
While the cause of the crash is not known, the national weather bureau has said seasonal storms were likely to be a factor. The pilots were reportedly denied permission to divert above a storm.While the cause of the crash is not known, the national weather bureau has said seasonal storms were likely to be a factor. The pilots were reportedly denied permission to divert above a storm.
President Joko Widodo, who took office in late October, said the crash exposed widespread problems in the management of air transport in Indonesia.President Joko Widodo, who took office in late October, said the crash exposed widespread problems in the management of air transport in Indonesia.