bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

Reuters in Jakarta

Indonesian investigators may release some initial findings next week into last month’s crash of any AirAsia passenger jet that killed 162 people, but the full preliminary report will not be made public, a government official said on Wednesday.
The Airbus A320-200 vanished from radar screens on December 28, less than halfway into a two-hour flight from Indonesia’s second-biggest city of Surabaya to Singapore. There were no survivors.

Data from radar and the aircraft’s two “black box” flight recorders is providing investigators with a clearer picture of what occurred during the final minutes of Flight QZ8501.
Transport Minister Ignasius Jonan on Tuesday told a parliamentary hearing that the plane had climbed faster than normal in its final minutes, and then stalled.
Three days after the crash a source familiar with initial investigations had told Reuters the plane appeared to have made an “unbelievably steep climb” that may have pushed it beyond its performance envelope.
Investigators are expected to submit a preliminary report to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) early next week, in line with ICAO regulations that the preliminary report must be filed within 30 days of the date of the accident.
“One month after the accident we will just make a preliminary report. No comment and no analysis,” Tatang Kurniadi, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Committee, told reporters.
“This will not be exposed to the public. This is for the consumption of those countries that are involved.”
The NTSC will hold a press conference on the AirAsia crash next Wednesday, but it was not clear how much will be disclosed.
The final report of the crash investigation findings, which will be made public, must be filed within a year.
Final minutes
Kurniadi reiterated that investigators have found no evidence of foul play in the disaster.
Transport Minister Jonan on Tuesday gave the first detailed information about the final minutes of Flight QZ8501 based on radar data. Data from the black box flight recorders would give a more detailed picture, Kurniadi said.
At 6.17am on December 28, three minutes after air traffic control unsuccessfully tried to make contact and asked nearby aircraft to try to locate QZ8501, the A320 turned to the left and it began to climb from its altitude of 32,000 feet [9,750 metres], Jonan told a parliamentary hearing.
The rate of the climb increased rapidly within seconds to 6,000 ft a minute, before accelerating further to 8,400 feet a minute and finally 11,100 ft. The aircraft reached 37,600 ft just 54 seconds after it began to climb before it appeared to stall.
The aircraft began to fall at 6.18am, dropping 1,500 feet in the first 6 seconds before reaching a rate of descent of 7,900 feet per minute until it reached 24,000 ft, at which point it disappeared from the radar.
Pilots and industry observers told reporters that if an aircraft makes a rapid climb and start to lose speed, it would be likely to stall and suffer from a loss of control.
Based on Jonan’s data, there did not appear to have been a controlled descent in the case of QZ8501 and the aircraft appeared to have fallen rapidly before crashing into the sea, they added.
Bad weather in the area has been cited a possible factor in the crash, with the other aircraft close by at that time flying at altitudes of between 34,000 and 39,000 feet.
The investigators were looking into why this was the case, as well as QZ8501 pilots’ reaction to the storms and clouds in the area, according to a source close to the investigation.
Industry experts say that the margin for error at higher altitudes is smaller than at take-off or lower down.
While the A320’s systems usually prevent pilots from doing anything outside usual safe flight parameter, these protections can be disabled in some circumstances, handing control to the pilots and leaving it to manual flying skills.


‘It’s like having your insides ripped out’: Singaporean air crash widow on getting over Hong Kong husband and daughter’s death

Indonesia ends search for remains of AirAsia crash victims

AirAsia boss seeks to allay fears as flight aborted after malfunction

AirAsia crash searchers may have found French co-pilot after body 'wearing uniform' is retrieved

AirAsia flight QZ8501

Indonesia will not make public preliminary AirAsia crash report

The recovery mission for the crashed AirAsia plane continues in Pangkalan Bun. Photo: EPA

Indonesian soldiers carry a coffin bearing the remains of 'body number 50'. Photo: AFP

Indonesian officials examine wreckage from AirAsia flight QZ8501. Photo: AFP

News

Asia

Initial report into crash after recovery of black box flight recorders will be restricted for 'consumption of those countries involved' and not for public view


Indonesian investigators may release some initial findings next week into last month’s crash of any AirAsia passenger jet that killed 162 people, but the full preliminary report will not be made public, a government official said on Wednesday.
