AirAsia QZ8501 What We Know So Far

It is heartbreaking to learn of the tragic circumstances of AirAsia flight QZ8501 en route from Surabaya to Singapore which lost contact at 07:24 local time December 28, 2014.

My deepest condolences to the families of all affected by this tragedy. My thoughts and prayers are with you at this difficult time.

I will keep this post updated with the facts which arise as the recovery effort and investigation continues. **Note that after 15th January any updates will be on major events, not daily.

January 20, Day Twenty-Three

A team of 10 investigators from the National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC) who listened to the content of the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) have found “no threats” in the cockpit of QZ8501, Reuters reports.

Andreas Hananto told Reuters that his team of 10 investigators at the National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC) had found “no threats” in the cockpit voice recordings to indicate foul play during AirAsia Flight QZ8501.

The Airbus (AIR.PA) A320-200 vanished from radar screens 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.

When asked if there was any evidence from the recording that terrorism was involved, Hananto said: “No. Because if there were terrorism, there would have been a threat of some kind.”

“In that critical situation, the recording indicates that the pilot was busy with the handling of the plane.”

Investigators said they had listened to the whole of the recording but transcribed only about half.

“We didn’t hear any voice of other persons other than the pilots,” said Nurcahyo Utomo, another investigator. “We didn’t hear any sounds of gunfire or explosions. For the time being, based on that, we can eliminate the possibility of terrorism.”

Investigators have thus far listened only to part of the recording and have yet to complete a transcript of the CVR, but found that the final minutes of the flight were alarms from the aircraft systems.  Investigators also decoding the Flight-Data Recorder (FDR) and believe it unlikely that there was any explosion onboard.

“From the (flight data recordings) so far, it’s unlikely there was an explosion,” Hananto said. “If there was, we would definitely know because certain parameters would show it. There are something like 1,200 parameters.”

AirAsia issued the following update to its Facebook page yesterday 19th January 2015:

AirAsia Indonesia Flight QZ8501 UPDATE (as of 19th January 2015 8:30 PM (GMT+7)

January 15, Day Eighteen

There is an effort underway to raise the fuselage of QZ8501 by using balloons, but it has thus far been unsuccessful, as Channel News Asia reports.  At present, divers are doing the difficult job of trying to enter the sunken fuselage to search for more bodies of victims which could be recovered from the sea.

https://twitter.com/JackBoard/status/555607719680307200

January 14, Day Seventeen

News that a Singaporean navy ship located the fuselage of the Flight QZ8501 aircraft is both a relief and gut wrenching.  The ghostly, murky underwater images also illustrate the challenges SAR teams and divers have faced in recovery of wreckage for this plane.

Images show main body of #AirAsia flight #QZ8501 located in Java Sea http://t.co/lCXMINrUOz pic.twitter.com/WZnpzK0xxX

— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) January 14, 2015

We can only hope that soon all that remains of the wreckage can be pulled from the sea and that a proper investigation can commence. Bloomberg published an excellent article on the process of an aircraft investigation which ran on Skift today.

So far, the bodies of 48 passengers have been found, and it is hoped that the remaining passengers can recovered now.

Tony Fernandes Tweeted his reaction to the news 

https://twitter.com/tonyfernandes/status/555324596149157888

https://twitter.com/tonyfernandes/status/555324809630855168

AirAsia updated its statement on Facebook

AirAsia Indonesia Flight QZ8501 UPDATE (as of 14th JANUARY 2015 10:00 PM (GMT+7)

January 13, Day Seventeen

As the BBC reports, the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) has now been found, and investigators will be able to use both sources of data to reach their determinations.

AirAsia updated its statement on Facebook 

13 January 2015 at 16:01

January 12, Day Sixteen

Both the Flight Data Recorder and the Cockpit Voice Recorder “black boxes” have now been found in the wreckage of AirAsia QZ8501  though only the Flight Data Recorder has thus far been retrieved from the bottom of the Java Sea.

SAR teams have recorded that it is lodged under the wreckage and that divers are having difficulties with freeing it. The Flight Data Recorder (FDR) stores data from the aircraft’s diagnostics and avionics systems and the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) will contain a voice record which may shed light on the pilots’ actions right up to the moment of the crash. The SAR teams will hand over the black boxes to investigators in Jakarta as soon as both are recovered.

WATCH: First video of #QZ8501 'black box' http://t.co/U41WC8xc23 pic.twitter.com/LQW4k0mmEO

— BBC Asia (@BBCNewsAsia) January 12, 2015

Some confusion arose when comments were made by certain search officials that the aircraft exploded when hitting the water. 

#Indonesia search coordinator tells reporters based on wreckage, other indications #QZ8501 suffered explosion "before it hit the water."

— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) January 12, 2015

According to reports on Europa Press (link in Spanish), there were contradictory versions of an explosion of the AirAsia A320 QZ8501. The director of Operations for the national search and rescue agency, S.B. Supriyadi, had said it was probable that the aircraft suffered an explosion prior to crashing in the water, and added that the wreckage reflected a disintegration of the fuselage. This statement was quickly rebuffed by investigators, who said there was no data available to support such a theory.

Update – Indonesia transport safety investigator: there is no data to support theory the #AirAsia jet exploded before hitting the water

— Sky News Breaking (@SkyNewsBreak) January 12, 2015

In fact, reaching any conclusions without an opportunity to first review the information on the FDR retrieved, hopefully putting it in context of the recordings of cockpit conversations on the CVR, and a careful forensic analysis of the wreckage is irresponsible.

Readers should not that when an aircraft hits the water, even on an intended ditching, it has can fall apart without an explosion being the cause of the break-up. Think of the impact as similar to landing bodily flat on the water when diving from a very great height. There is no direct correlation between disintegration of an aircraft which has hit the water and the disintegration resulting from a detonation or explosion. However, the latter will leave other trace evidence for investigators to review. The types of breaks and any charring, even chemical traces on the remnants of the wreckage, will help inform a final study. It takes time for the pieces to be examined up close and for the necessary tests to be run before anyone can really know what caused this accident.

The rush to judge in this raises questions over the overall integrity of managing information on this investigation, on the investigator’s ability to keep information from leaking out without proper analysis. In short, are the people working on the case of QZ8501 so eager to give answers that the wrong answers will do? The Search and Rescue teams are simply not qualified to judge root cause. It is not unusual for all sorts of theories to arise prematurely, but it will be the ultimate demonstration of the Indonesian investigative body’s competence that they can quickly address and debunk these theories, as they have done in this particular case. It will also be essential that the investigators can prove that they can maintain control of evidence and data analysed, without partial information leaking out.

It’s worth pointing to this recent complaint by the NTSB and over the premature release of aircraft crash data:

FAA Mistakenly Released a Draft Internal Report During NTSB Investigation http://t.co/3QZ1MXhwhm

— NTSB (@NTSB) January 6, 2015

We should look at any statements made by any parties prior to a proper investigation with a critical eye and a generous dose of skepticism.

Only 48 bodies have been recovered so far, out of a total of 162 people onboard. It is supposed that the balance of the passengers may be in the main body of the fuselage, which has yet to be found.

Air Asia updated its statement on Facebook

12 January 2015 at 16:51

January 11, Day Fifteen

Air Asia updated its statement on Facebook 

AirAsia Indonesia Flight QZ8501 UPDATE (as of 11th January 2015 9:00 PM (GMT+7)11 January 2015 at 15:44 SURABAYA, 11TH JANUARY 2015 – AirAsia Indonesia wishes to inform the latest development on the SAR operation of flight QZ 8501 lead by The National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS) Republic of Indonesia.    Good weather and clear visibility have allowed for SAR operations to continue with the focus remaining on the search and recovery of the passengers in the primary search area.    SAR vessels and sea divers also approached the area where the pings were detected, suspected to be the location of the aircraft’s black box. No additional remain recoveries were reported today.    In Surabaya, the Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) Police Department of Republic of Indonesia (DVI POLRI) today announced that they were able to identify three more remains, 1 Indonesian known as Vera Chandra Kho (female) and 2 South Koreans, identified as Kyung Hwa Lee (female) and Seongbeom Park (male).    To date, BASARNAS has confirmed to have recovered a total of 48 remains of which 32 remains have been identified by DVI POLRI and 16 remains are still being identified.    AirAsia Indonesia would like to take this opportunity to urge the public seeking progress on the search and evacuation and identification process of QZ 8501 passengers to refer solely to official information from BASARNAS and DVI POLRI.    You may also obtain substantiated information only from authorised AirAsia social media accounts: Facebook (www.facebook.com/AirAsia) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/AirAsia)    Our thoughts and prayers remain with the families and friends of our passengers and colleagues on board QZ 8501.

January 10, Day Fourteen

Air Asia Updated its statement on Facebook

AirAsia Indonesia Flight QZ8501 UPDATE (as of 10th January 2015 9:00 PM (GMT+7)10 January 2015 at 15:23
SURABAYA,10TH JANUARY 2015 – The National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS) Republic of Indonesia today confirmed that they successfully lifted the tail piece of QZ 8501’s aircraft from the Java Sea. The tail piece has been transported to Pangkalan Bun and will be handed over to Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) for further investigation.

The sonar equipments continued to detect more objects which are suspected to be the plane’s front section and detected pings suspected to be from the plane’s black box flight recorders near the location where the tail was found. Sea divers, vessels and helicopters were deployed to observe the focused searched area.

This morning, the seven remains which were recovered by BASARNAS yesterday (09/01) arrived in Surabaya and were transferred to Bhayangkara Hospital for identification.

Earlier today, the Minister of Transportation, Ignasius Jonan also visited the crisis center at East Java Region Police Headquarter to have a direct dialogue with the families of QZ 8501’s passengers. During the dialogue, several family members asked the Government to optimise SAR operations. Jonan assured the families that according to Indonesia’s President – Joko Widodo’s orders– SAR operations will not stop until all passengers are recovered and sent back to their families.

The Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) Police Department of Republic of Indonesia (DVI POLRI) today announced that they were able to identify two more remains known as: Susandhini Liman (female) and Justin Geovanni (male).

To date, BASARNAS has confirmed to have recovered a total of 48 remains of which 29 remains have been identified by DVI POLRI and 19 remains are still being identified.

AirAsia Indonesia would like to take this opportunity to urge the public seeking progress on the search and evacuation and identification process of QZ 8501 passengers to refer solely to official information from BASARNAS and DVI POLRI.

You may also obtain substantiated information only from authorised AirAsia social media accounts: Facebook www.facebook.com/AirAsia and Twitter www.twitter.com/AirAsia
Our thoughts and prayers remain with the families and friends of our passengers and colleagues on board QZ 8501.

January 9, Day Thirteen

Air Asia updated its statement on Facebook

AirAsia Indonesia Flight QZ8501 UPDATE (as of 9th January 2015 7:00 PM (GMT+7)9 January 2015 at 13:00 SURABAYA, 9TH JANUARY 2015 – The SAR Operation led by The National SAR Agency (BASARNAS) Republic of Indonesia continues today with marginally better weather and clear visibility for the sea divers to recover more remains and debris of QZ8501’s aircraft from the sea. Sea divers were also deployed to attach the floating bags on the aircraft’s tail piece in order to lift it out from water.Meanwhile, BASARNAS also assures that passengers search and evacuation are still the main priority and the black box search is still underway.  As of this morning, BASARNAS confirms to have recovered seven more remains in which the seven remains are already arrived at Pangkalan Bun. Meanwhile, passengers’ belongings found in the focused search area are already secured at the crisis center in East Java Region Police Headquarter, Surabaya. AirAsia Indonesia will secure other belongings found during the SAR operations and return them to eligible Next-Of-Kins following a strict screening process. The Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) Police Department of Republic of Indonesia (DVI POLRI) today announced that they were able to identify two more remains known as: Martinus Djomi (male) and Marwin Sholeh (male). To date, BASARNAS has confirmed to have recovered atotal of 48 remains of which 27 remains have been identified by DVI POLRI and21 remains are still being identified. AirAsia Indonesia would like to take this opportunity to urge the public seeking progress on the search and evacuation and identification process of QZ 8501 passengers to refer solely to official information from BASARNAS and DVI POLRI. Our thoughts and prayers remain with the families and friends of our passengers and colleagues on board QZ 8501.

January 8, Day Twelve

Attempts continue to retrieve the tail of the aircraft for AirAsia flight 8501.

Air Asia has updated its statement on Facebook

8 January 2015 at 14:39

January 7, Day Eleven

The tail of the A320 aircraft flying AirAsia flight 8501 has now been spotted by Search and Recovery teams, buried in the mud of the ocean bed. The black boxes have not yet been retrieved.

Readers should note that the process of retrieving data and voice recordings from Flight Data Recorders is not immediate. It will require investigators and experts present to assist the investigation to analyse the diagnostics recorded by the aircraft’s systems, which will detail the performance of the plane and flight conditions, right up to the moment of the crash. A transcript of conversations in the cockpit will also be drafted. That said, retrieving the Flight Data Recorders, and beginning the process of downloading and transcribing that information would be no-doubt be a significant step forward to discover the causes of this crash. A full investigation will also involve analysing the wreckage of the aircraft for any additional evidence, all of which will form a complete picture for investigators to begin the in-depth analysis which will ultimately lead to a final determination of root-cause.

Tony Fernandes addresses this development with followers on Twitter

https://twitter.com/tonyfernandes/status/552698979494813696

https://twitter.com/tonyfernandes/status/552699263700852736

AirAsia updates its Facebook page with a confirmation of reports that the tail of the aircraft was spotted by Search and Recovery teams. A total of 40 passenger’s bodies have now been recovered from the crash, and 24 of them have now been identified.

7 January 2015 at 13:43

January 6, Day Ten

AirAsia updates its Facebook page with a new statement on the progress of the search for the wreckage of QZ8501 and for the remains of passengers onboard the ill-fated flight.

6 January 2015 at 15:24

January 5, Day Nine

While bad weather continues to delay and complicate the recovery effort, 37 remains of passengers have been recovered so far and 13 victims identified. Some searchers have said they believe they’ve found the tail of the aircraft, where the ‘black boxes’ would be located, but this is not yet confirmed.

“I am not saying it’s the tail yet,” the head of Indonesia’s search and rescue agency, Fransiskus Bambang Soelistyo, told a news conference in Jakarta. “That is suspected. Now we are trying to confirm it.”–Reuters

“The seas haven’t been very friendly, but the black boxes have a 30-day life and they will be able to find them,” said Peter Marosszeky, a senior aviation research fellow at the University of New South Wales in Sydney. “It’s the weather that is causing the delay.”–Reuters

This video report from the Associated Press provides a good summary of the day’s Search and Rescue activities.  

The issue of the Airline’s permit to fly on that day continues to raise questions and cause problems. The transport ministry has also said that some airport officials and ATC have been moved to other roles during the accident investigation, though it gave no reason for the change, as Reuters reports.

AirAsia updated its statement on Facebook, but made no mention of the suspension of service on this route.

5 January 2015 at 15:36

January 4, Day Eight

Bad weather continues to complicate the search for the remaining wreckage of AirAsia QZ8501, with divers forced to discontinue their search because of clouded sea conditions, as AFP reports.

“‘They managed to go down but the visibility at the sea bottom was zero, it was dark and the seabed was muddy, with currents of three to five knots,’ search and rescue agency chief Bambang Soelistyo told reporters, adding that heavy rain and big waves were continuing to hamper the rescue effort. ‘For that reason, the diving efforts must be temporarily stopped. We’ll try to deploy an ROV (remotely-operated underwater vehicle),’ he said.”–AFP

https://twitter.com/ANCALERTS/status/551678181128675329/photo/1

Five major parts of the aircraft have now been found in the search area for AirAsia QZ8501, off the island Borneo. The body of one additional victim was recovered.

While the “black box” has not yet been found, there is growing speculation on what part weather may have played in the crash, based on reports by Indonesia’s meteorological agency, the BMKG.

“‘Based on the available data received on the location of the aircraft’s last contact, the weather was the triggering factor behind the accident,” said the report. ‘The most probable weather phenomenon was icing which can cause engine damage due to a cooling process. This is just one of the possibilities that occurred based on the analysis of existing meteorological data.'”–AFP

Readers should note that speculation on root causes of accidents, without availability of the flight data recorders and reconstruction of the accident by air accident investigators is not the same as a final determination. Accidents of any kind, including air accidents, are most often caused by a combination of unfortunate circumstances and human factors in dealing with complications that arise. This is to say that there was no doubt bad weather in the area, just as there continues to be, and weather may have played an important role in what went ultimately wrong with this flight, but exactly how weather affected the aircraft and the pilot flying it cannot be determined based on meteorological data alone, regardless of the source.

We are human and human beings want answers, especially when horrible things happen. We will no doubt continue to see reports that try to address that need. But we should expect that, as more information comes in, finding answers will only become more complex. In fact, proper aircraft investigations can take many months to complete, and a final determination, conclusions and corresponding corrective action can take years.

Factors referenced here are part of a summarised reporting of the timeline of this tragedy. They do not imply any conclusions on my part as I am not qualified to reach conclusions on this matter. Expert investigators don’t yet have enough information to reach conclusions. I am only reporting the key events and will continue to do so.

Yesterday’s statement by the Indonesian transport ministry that AirAsia was not licensed to fly QZ8501 on Sunday, and the subsequent suspension of AirAsia Indonesia’s permit to operate additional flights, has caused confusion and raised questions including among ticket-holding passengers.

Image Captured from comments to AirAsia’s last statement on Facebook:

Comments on AirAsia’s Facebook Page about question of permit tough fly and subsequent cancellation of flights./AirAsia

The airline has said it will cooperate with the Indonesian transport ministry on the investigation but has made no formal statement to address these questions so far.

“But the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore said it had granted permission for the airline’s Sunday flight.

“It was unclear how the airline, a unit of Malaysia-based AirAsia, had been able to fly without the necessary authorisation from its starting point.”–AFP

Tony Fernandes updated his followers on Twitter

https://twitter.com/tonyfernandes/status/551344905608372224

https://twitter.com/tonyfernandes/status/551344412219826177

While the spelling on this image might be regrettable, the sentiment is clear.

https://twitter.com/tonyfernandes/status/551779156627714048

https://twitter.com/tonyfernandes/status/551787839000563712

https://twitter.com/tonyfernandes/status/551788249207668737

AirAsia Updated its statement on Facebook

4 January 2015 at 16:32

January 3, Day Seven

AirAsia issues an updated statement on its Facebook page

AirAsia Indonesia Flight QZ8501 Update (as of 3 January 2015 8:00 PM (GMT+7)

SURABAYA, 3rd JANUARY 2015 – Entering the seventh day of search and rescue mission, the National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS) Republic of Indonesia confirms that they have recovered 30 remains from the search area.

The search process is still underway with the Russian SAR team joining the mission, strengthening the operation led by BASARNAS. Weather in the SAR area for tomorrow (Sunday) is forecasted to be much better with waves likely to decrease and remain at 2-3 metres. The officials have also announced that sonar equipment detected two large objects on the ocean floor which may be the wreckage of flight QZ 8501.

The 12 remains consisting of 9 male and 3 female arrived today at Bhayangkara Hospital, Surabaya to undergo the identification process.

In addition, the Disaster Victim Identification Police Department of Republic of Indonesia (DVI POLRI) today confirmed two remains of QZ 8501 passengers which were identified as Hendra Gunawan Syawal (male) and The Meiji Thejakusuma (female). The remains were handed over earlier today at Bhayangkara Hospital, Surabaya by Chief Executive Officer AirAsia Indonesia, Sunu Widyatmoko.

To date, DVI POLRI has identified a total of six passengers while the 24 remaining remains are still being identified. DVI POLRI also confirms that the remains identification process will be supported by DVI experts from Singapore and South Korea.

AirAsia would like to take this opportunity to urge the public seeking progress on the search and evacuation and identification process of QZ 8501 passengers to refer solely to official information from BASARNAS and DVI Polri.

Our thoughts and prayers remain with the families and friends of our passengers and colleagues on board QZ 8501.

Indonesian weather agency BMKG suggests that the aircraft of flight QZ8501 likely flew into a severe storm which contributed to the crash, the BBC reports.

“From our data it looks like the last location of the plane had very bad weather and it was the biggest factor behind the crash,” said Professor Edvin Aldrian, head of research at BMKG.

He said there was evidence of extremely icy conditions at the plane’s altitude, which can “stall the engines of the plane and freeze and damage the plane’s machinery.”–BBC

An aerodynamic stall is suspected.  Indonesian authorities have question whether the pilot followed correct weather report procedures, according to Reuters.

Search teams using sonar have found “two large objects” and an underwater vehicle was deployed to the site. Officials suspect that the bodies of many passengers may be in the remains of the fuselage.

Mr Soelistyo said on Saturday that the large objects had been detected by sonar from an Indonesian navy ship.

“We found oil slicks and huge objects at 23:40 (16:40 GMT) last night. I am confident these are parts of the missing AirAsia plane that we are looking for,” he said.

He said the larger of the objects was 10 metres by five (32ft by 16ft) but that strong currents made operating the underwater vehicle difficult.

“As I speak we are lowering an ROV (remotely operated underwater vehicle) to get an actual picture of the objects detected on the sea floor. All are at the depth of 30 metres.”–BBC

AirAsia didn’t have official permission to fly that day.

There are reports by the Wall Street Journal, BBC, and Reuters, stating that AirAsia QZ8501 was flying outside the scope of its approved schedule for service, and “infringing the terms of its license for the route.” The airline evidently had permission to fly the route four days a week, but not on the Sunday of the crash.

“The Indonesian authorities are suspending the company’s flights on this route with immediate effect pending an investigation, a transport ministry statement said.

Sunu Widyatmoko, chief executive of AirAsia’s Indonesian arm, said the company will “fully corporate” with the inquiry.”–BBC

and

“Djoko Murdjatmodjo, acting director general of air transportation, said on Saturday that the transport ministry would investigate all AirAsia schedules from Monday.

“We are going to investigate all AirAsia flight schedules. Hopefully we can start on next Monday. We won’t focus on licences, just schedules,” he said. “It is possible AirAsia’s license in Indonesia might be revoked,” he added, stressing that was only one possibility.

“Sunu Widyatmoko, Indonesia AirAsia chief, told reporters the airline, 49-percent owned by Malaysia-based AirAsia, would cooperate with the inquiry.

“The government has suspended our flights from Surabaya to Singapore and back,” he said. “They are doing the evaluation process. AirAsia will cooperate fully with the evaluation.”–Reuters

January 2, Day Six

Weather continues to complicate the search and recovery efforts for QZ8501. The Associated Press reports that search crews have now recovered a total of 30 bodies, though the Jakarta Post/ANN lists the body count at 22 as of Friday evening, local time.

“An Indonesian navy official says five of them were found still strapped in their seats.”–AP

“‘US navy UH60 Black Hawk helicopters delivered eight bodies this afternoon and four more are still on the Sampson,’ said National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) operational director First Marshal SB Supriyadi on Friday as quoted by Antara news agency.”–ANN

The search area was extended and a “most probable area” for the wreckage defined.

#QZ8501: Allocation of assets for new search area as shown. KD PHG in Sector II, LKR and LKU in Sector IV. pic.twitter.com/l7kjazQGBX

— Abdul Aziz Jaafar (@tsdraziz) January 1, 2015

French investigators from the Bureau d’Enquȇtes et d’Analyses pour la sécurité de l’aviation civile (BEA) have been deployed to aid the investigation. Because the aircraft is made by Airbus, Toulouse, it falls under BEA jurisdiction to assist.

“During the morning of January 2nd, local time, a ship will be taking the investigators to the search area, with detection equipment including hydrophones, in order to try to locate the acoustic beacons from the two flight recorders,” BEA said in a statement.

Tony Fernandes updated details of the search on Twitter

https://twitter.com/tonyfernandes/status/550938499327594496

https://twitter.com/darrenLTA/status/550831431736246272

https://twitter.com/tonyfernandes/status/550879884738715648

The airline updated its statement on Facebook

AirAsia Indonesia Flight QZ 8501 Update (as of 2 January 2015 21:00 PM (GMT+7)2 January 2015 at 15:31
SURABAYA, 2nd JANUARY 2015 – The Disaster Victim Identification Police Department of Republic of Indonesia (DVI POLRI) today confirmed that the remains of three more passengers on board QZ 8501 were identified as Grayson Herbert Linaksita (male), Khairunisa Haidar Fauzi (female), and Kevin Alexander Sutjipto (male).

The handover of the remains from AirAsia to the families took place earlier today at Bhayangkara Hospital, Surabaya.

Khairunisa Haidar Fauzi was one of the flight attendants on board QZ 8501, and has been with AirAsia Indonesia since 28 January 2013. Khairunisa was well known for her professionalism as well as dedication at work.

Group CEO of AirAsia, Tony Fernandes together with Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of AirAsia Berhad, Datuk Kamarudin Meranun and CEO of AirAsia Indonesia, Sunu Widyatmoko flew to Palembang today to officially handover the remain of Khairunisa Haidar Fauzi to her family and attended her burial.

To date, DVI POLRI team has identified four remains of QZ 8501 passengers. A total of twenty two remains of QZ 8501 passengers have been recovered.

AirAsia would like to take this opportunity to urge the public seeking for progress on the search and evacuation of QZ 8501 passengers to refer solely to official information from the National Search and Rescue Agency.

Our thoughts and prayers remain with the families and friends of our passengers and colleagues on board QZ 8501.

January 1, Day Five

Two additional bodies of occupants on QZ8501 were recovered from the sea today, bringing the total number to nine.

The first identified victim of the crash of has been confirmed as Hayati Lutfiah Hamid, 49, an AirAsia flight attendant. She was laid to rest in Surabaya, east Java today.

AirAsia released a statement this evening on Facebook.

1 January 2015 at 14:58

Tony Fernandes also Tweeted his hopes that reports of the aircraft being found were true.

https://twitter.com/tonyfernandes/status/550529783285567489

Severe weather and rough seas continue to hamper the search.

December 31, Day Four

Information previously disclosed on the number of bodies recovered from the sea proved inaccurate. In total, seven bodies have now been recovered.

Weather is once again playing a factor in the recovery. In a press conference, Tony Fernandes explained that bad weather is complicating the search and clarified that objects suspected to be wreckage of QZ8501 have only been identified visually, not with sonar as reported.

Tony Fernandes continued to update followers on Twitter, sharing his strong emotions at this difficult time.

https://twitter.com/tonyfernandes/status/550198777298972672

https://twitter.com/tonyfernandes/status/550214657261043712

https://twitter.com/tonyfernandes/status/550215211940982784

The search for bodies and for the flight data recorders continues, but stormy weather and strong tides making conditions in the Java Sea difficult, the BBC reports.

“Officials said heavy rain, strong winds and waves of up to 3m (10ft) had forced them to suspend the air operation, though ships already in place were continuing the search.”

Though searchers have identified what they believe to be large parts of the plane, strong currents are moving the wreckage, AP Reports.

“It seems all the wreckage found has drifted more than 50 kilometers from yesterday’s location,” said Vice Air Marshal Sunarbowo Sandi, search and rescue coordinator in Pangkalan Bun on Borneo island, the closest town to the site. “We are expecting those bodies will end up on beaches.”

Family members have been asked to supply DNA samples to identify the bodies of passengers recovered from the sea. There will be a public memorial this Wednesday evening in Surabaya, and all New Year’s celebrations were cancelled.

“Now we are focused on praying for the victims,” said Soekarwo, who uses one name like many Indonesians. “This is a big tragedy for Indonesia and we will do our best for the victims and their families.”

December 30, Day Three

Airbus expresses its condolences, and commits to providing technical information required for investigation.

Our sincere thoughts are with all those affected by the loss of @AirAsia Flight #QZ8501. 1/2

— Airbus (@Airbus) December 30, 2014

We are dedicated to providing our full support to determine the cause of this tragic accident. http://t.co/chKWrcoSEH #QZ8501 2/2

— Airbus (@Airbus) December 30, 2014

The aircraft manufacturer’s updated statement on the accident reads:

Air Asia sends Tweet expressing the company’s sorrow over the fate of those onboard QZ8501, and introduces a hashtag #togetherwestand to mark condolences.

We are deeply saddened by the news of QZ8501. Heartfelt condolences to loved ones of those affected #togetherwestand pic.twitter.com/gFHpYAJpAq

— airasia (@airasia) December 30, 2014

An AirAsia flight Z2272 overshot the runway at Kalibo International Airport, Philippines. Passengers were evacuated using the aircraft’s slides and there were no reported injuries.

AirAsia Updates Statement on its Facebook Page

30 December 2014 at 12:21

The process of recovery begins. 

#BREAKING: More than 40 bodies retrieved in AirAsia search: Indonesian navy

— AFP News Agency (@AFP) December 30, 2014

Changi Airport Offers Help

https://twitter.com/changiairport/status/549854558449451008

Tony Fernandes Tweets his reaction to news of debris found.

https://twitter.com/tonyfernandes/status/549840388307947521

https://twitter.com/tonyfernandes/status/549840195579703296

Debris found appears to be from missing AirAsia QZ8501

Here are the main points from the conference with the head of the Indonesian search and rescue agency, Bambang Sulistyo, as reported by the BBC

(All times are local)

• 11:07 Indonesian Air Force Hercules found floating debris
• 12:50 Indonesian Air Force Hercules found a shadow underwater, it is alleged to portray the shape of a plane
• 13:25 Search team found a floating object which is alleged to be the body of a passenger
• 13:50 Navy ship found an object assumed to be emergency exit door
• 14:00 Navy ship was deployed to evacuate the assumed emergency exit door

December 29, Day Two

Tony Fernandes shares emotional Tweets about his meetings with AirAsia staff and family members of crew. 

https://twitter.com/tonyfernandes/status/549683516946915329

https://twitter.com/tonyfernandes/status/549682707882467328

https://twitter.com/tonyfernandes/status/549682371847401472

Questions of Progress on Aircraft Tracking Technology Continue

The Wall Street Journal reports that AirAsia was in the process of upgrading its flight tracking technology on aircraft, as part of its in-flight connectivity installations.

Mashable covers the ongoing debate in the industry on what new flight tracking technology can be installed, how, and when.

I’ve covered developments in flight tracking and emergency flight data transmission on Flight Chic and published several articles in industry press this year. These articles provide a timeline of developments so far:

Hawaiian Airlines First to Commit to New Satellite Safety and Aircraft Tracking System, Skift, September 2014

The State of Airline Flight Tracking 6 Months After the Vanishing of MH3701, Skift, September 2014

FLYHT Announces L-3 AFIRS 228S Aviation Recorders Obtain Airbus A320 Certification, July 2014

SITA Enters the Flight Tracking Systems Business, Skift, June 2014

Aviation Industry Pursuing Flight Tracking Options After Malaysia Airlines Incident, Skift, June 2014

The Small Canadian Airline That Already Has the Flight-Tracking System of the Future, Skift, May 2014

Beyond the Black Box: Fixing Aviation’s Broken Communication Systems, Skift, March 2014

UK on Black Box Streaming: Money Drives Delay, The Runway Girl Network, March 2014

The Indonesian Government asked for US Assistance with the ongoing search for QZ8501, Reuters reports.

“We stand ready to assist in any way possible,” Pentagon spokesman Mark Wright said in a statement.

A second day of searching for QZ8501 draws to a close. Though there were initial reports of sightings of debris and possible oil slick, these were later said to have no connection to the missing aircraft. A BBC report indicates that head of Indonesia’s search-and-rescue agency said the aircraft is likely to be at the bottom of the sea.

A report on French aviation site AirInfo, states that QZ8501 was not equipped with ACARS (Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System), citing GE Spokesperson Rick Kennedy as its source. Flight Chic reached out to Airbus for confirmation and for additional information on the emergency equipment on this aircraft, but the aircraft manufacturer has indicated it is not in a position to address questions beyond its official statement at this time, while the investigation of the incident is still ongoing.

As Phil Derner, Jr., of NYC Aviation points out, weather is a factor hampering the search.

@zoomarang Tracking isn't the issue. Weather/night hampering rescue operations is the problem.

— Phil Derner (@PhilDernerJr) December 29, 2014

Debris spotted in area where plane lost contact is said not to be from AirAsia QZ8501, according to Channel News Asia

JUST IN: Object spotted in #QZ8501 search zone is not from missing plane, AFP quotes Indonesia VP as saying http://t.co/I9lXiR4BQ4

— CNA (@ChannelNewsAsia) December 29, 2014

AirAsia Founder and CEO Tony Fernandes Tweeted his thanks to the Indonesian people for their support and reflected pride in the professionalism of his team during this difficult time. 

https://twitter.com/tonyfernandes/status/549440046017699841

https://twitter.com/tonyfernandes/status/549435182407618561

https://twitter.com/tonyfernandes/status/549434773009989632

https://twitter.com/tonyfernandes/status/549434773009989632

https://twitter.com/tonyfernandes/status/549429538396962816

https://twitter.com/tonyfernandes/status/549429189321822208

AirAsia issued an Updated statement on Facebook

29 December 2014 at 05:43

A Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) AP-3C Orion has been deployed from the northern city of Darwin to join the search operation for QZ8501, AFP reports.

“The RAAF AP-3C Orion aircraft has a well proven capability in search and rescue and carries maritime search radar coupled with infra-red and electro-optical sensors to support the visual observation capabilities provided by its highly trained crew,” said Chief of defence Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin.

The search for QZ8501 has resumed, the BBC reports, citing an Indonesian official. The Telegraph reports that rescuers from Indonesia and Singapore were preparing to resume their search for the missing aircraft. AFP reports with details on the planned search area from an Indonesian official.

“We have resumed the search for the missing AirAsia plane at 6:00 am. We are heading to east Belitung island,” deputy operations chief of the national search and rescue agency Tatang Zainuddin told AFP.

28 December, Day 1

Weather as a factor

While too little is known to reach conclusions on the fate of QZ8501, Mashable published an interesting report on how weather conditions might have affected the flight.

Phil Derner Jr., of NYC Aviation shared a report published this August on how ATC and pilots deal with severe weather conditions.

AirAsia issued an updated statement on Facebook

[Updated statement] QZ8501 (as at 10:35pm, GMT+7)28 December 2014 at 16:34
Earlier in Surabaya, the management of AirAsia along with the Governor of East Java, National Search and Rescue Agency of Republic of Indonesia (BASARNAS), Airport Authority of Indonesia, Airport Operator (Angkasa Pura I) met with the members of the families to update them on the latest developments and reconfirmed their commitment to providing assistance in every possible way.

Sunu Widyatmoko, CEO of AirAsia Indonesia said, “We are deeply shocked and saddened by this incident. We are cooperating with the relevant authorities to the fullest extent to determine the cause of this incident. In the meantime, our main priority is keeping the families of our passengers and colleagues informed on the latest developments.”

“We will do everything possible to support them as the investigation continues and have already mobilized a support team to help take care of their immediate needs, including accommodation and travel arrangements. A briefing center has also been set up in Surabaya for the families.”

For the families in Singapore, there is also an emergency briefing room at Changi International Airport Terminal Two, where AirAsia Indonesia will be providing regular updates.

We have also established an Emergency Call Centre that is available for those seeking information about relatives or friends who may have been on board the flight. The number is +622129270811.

At this time, search and rescue operations are being conducted, under the guidance of National Search and Rescue Agency Republic of Indonesia (BASARNAS). AirAsia Indonesia is cooperating fully and assisting the investigation in every possible way.

The aircraft was an Airbus A320-200 with the registration number PK-AXC. There were 155 passengers on board, with 137 adults, 17 children and 1 infant. Also on board were 2 pilots and 4 cabin crew and one engineer on board.

The captain in command had a total of 20,537 flying hours of which, 6,100 flying hours were with AirAsia Indonesia on the Airbus A320. The first office officer had a total of 2,275 flying hours with AirAsia Indonesia.

We will release further information as soon as it becomes available and our thoughts and prayers are with those on board QZ8501.
Note to Editors: We ask that members of the news media do not call the AirAsia Emergency Call Centre, as this line is reserved for family members seeking information about those who may have been on board. For media enquiries please call +622129270831.

According to reports by the BBC and AFP, search efforts for missing QZ8501 have been suspended for the night.

Indonesia Transport Ministry Official, Hadi Mustafa told AFP: “We ended at 17:30 (10:30 GMT) because it was getting dark.” He added: “The weather was also not too good as it was getting really cloudy. Tomorrow we will begin at 7 am, or even earlier than that if the weather is good.”

Malaysia deployed 3 vessels & 3 aircraft to assist Indonesian-led search ops for #QZ8501 pic.twitter.com/R13wB8FEhg

— Uncle Liow (@liowtionglai) December 28, 2014

The Associated Press clarified that the air search was suspended, but that boats are still in the area searching for signs of AirAsia QZ8501.

BREAKING: Indonesia: Air search for missing AirAsia jet suspended for night; some boats still looking.

— The Associated Press (@AP) December 28, 2014

Search and Recovery Update (via the Wall Street Journal)

Indonesia is deploying eight ships, two helicopters and three airplanes to search for the missing plane in the Bangka-Belitung waters. Bangka and Belitung are two islands east of Sumatra and the search currently seems to be concentrating more there. Two of the deployed Indonesian vessels have reached the waters around the two islands and are facing high swells. In addition, it is quickly getting darker as night falls.

Singapore has deployed one C130 aircraft and Malaysia has sent three vessels and one plane. Later Sunday, Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said no debris had been found so far.

Air Asia Updates Statement on Facebook

Tweet from Tony Fernandes

https://twitter.com/tonyfernandes/status/549159416335835138

Updates on weather conditions and possible effects on this aircraft

The infrared shown for #QZ8501 indicates some very severe thunderstorms, 50,000ft or higher. The aircraft could not have flown over that.

— Phil Derner (@PhilDernerJr) December 28, 2014

AirNav Indonesia said #QZ8501 told Jakarta ATC it was ascending 38,000 feet to avoid weather, also deviating left of path. via @jonostrower

— TheGlobalflight✈ (@TheGlobalflight) December 28, 2014

AirAsia issued the following statement on its Facebook Page

28 December 2014 at 04:41

The airline’s CEO, Tony Fernandes has gone to Surabaya.

#AirAsia #QZ8501: Airline CEO #TonyFernandes heads to #Surabaya http://t.co/WRZNoBk4mq pic.twitter.com/7lN8xp9gZm

— ST Foreign Desk (@STForeignDesk) December 28, 2014

Airbus has issued this statement with details on the aircraft:

AIRASIA INDONESIA FLIGHT QZ 8501

Airbus regrets to confirm that an A320-200 operated by AirAsia Indonesia lost contact with air traffic control this morning, 28th December 2014. The aircraft was operating a scheduled service, Flight QZ 8501, from Surabaya to Singapore.

The aircraft involved is MSN (Manufacturer Serial Number) 3648, registered as PK-AXC and was delivered to AirAsia from the production line in October 2008. Powered by CFM 56-5B engines, the aircraft had accumulated approximately 23,000 flight hours in some 13,600 flights. At this time no further factual information is available.
In line with the ICAO Annex 13 international convention, Airbus will provide full assistance to the French safety investigation authority, BEA, and to the authorities in charge of the investigation.

The Airbus A320-200 is a twin-engine single-aisle aircraft seating up to 180 passengers in a single-class configuration. The first A320 entered service in March 1988. By the end of November 2014, over 6000 A320 Family aircraft were in service with over 300 operators. To date, the entire fleet has accumulated some 154 million flight hours in some 85 million flights.

Airbus will make further factual information available as soon as the details have been confirmed and cleared by the authorities.
The thoughts of the Airbus management and staff are with all those affected by Flight QZ 8501.

We have been informed of an event and all efforts are now going towards assessing the situation.

— Airbus (@Airbus) December 28, 2014

Prior to the aircraft’s disappearance, the pilot requested a deviation due to severe weather enroute.

Latest @AirAsia statement on missing #QZ8501 plane http://t.co/hz6gwcajco pic.twitter.com/P7QjzbLEl7

— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) December 28, 2014

https://twitter.com/_RobertoMartin/status/549101208833884160

Flightradar24 has released the following map:

#QZ8501 was flying on FL320. Other aircraft in same area were flying on FL340-FL390. pic.twitter.com/h01k5LvHGJ

— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) December 28, 2014

The following graphic from themalayonline.com, shared by @controladores, provides a timeline for QZ8501 and limited details on the 162 passengers onboard.  

Lugar donde habría desaparecido el vuelo #QZ8501 según prensa de Malaysia. pic.twitter.com/3p6GpAjQ9H

— 😉Controladores Aéreos 🇪🇸 (@controladores) December 28, 2014

There is also a dedicated page of curated reports about AirAsia QZ8501 on the Flight Chic RebelMouse Newsfeed.