JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — AirAsia Flight 8501 crashed into the Java Sea
with 162 people on board, halfway into a Dec. 28 flight from Surabaya,
Indonesia, to Singapore. Dozens of bodies have been recovered, and
search teams have detected what is believed to be the plane's wreckage,
but many questions remain unanswered. Here are some of them:
WHAT CAUSED THE PLANE TO GO DOWN?
The
pilot told air traffic control he was approaching threatening clouds
and asked to climb above them, from 9,750 meters (32,000 feet) to 11,580
meters (38,000 feet). But with six other planes in the same airspace,
permission was denied. When the tower tried to make contact four minutes
later, there was no response, and the Airbus A320 was gone from the
radar. The investigation will hinge on the discovery of the black boxes
and the wreckage itself.
WHERE ARE THE BLACK BOXES?
With high surf preventing
the deployment of ships that drag "ping" locators, no signals have been
detected from the aircraft's all-important cockpit voice and flight data
recorders. Both will provide essential information, including the
plane's vertical and horizontal speeds along with engine temperature and
final conversations between the captain and co-pilot. The black boxes'
ping-emitting beacons still have around 20 days before their batteries
go dead.
WHERE ARE THE BODIES AND DEBRIS?
A
massive international search effort involving planes, ships and
helicopters continues despite heavy rain, high waves and strong
currents. So far, only around three dozen bodies have been recovered,
some still strapped into their seats. Sonar has identified what is
believed to be five large parts of the plane on the seabed, but rough
conditions along with mud and silt have kept divers from getting a clear
visual on it.
WAS THE PLANE AUTHORIZED TO FLY?
Indonesia
has launched an investigation into AirAsia's operating practices after
alleging the low-cost carrier did not have permits to fly from Surabaya
to Singapore on Sundays, the day the plane crashed. All of the carrier's
flights on that route have since been canceled. The Transportation
Ministry also has suspended officials who allowed the plane to fly
without authorization, including the Surabaya airport's operator and
officials in the control tower. AirAsia has declined to comment until
the evaluation is completed.