AirAsia QZ8501: Tail of Missing Plane Discovered

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Underwater photograph of  what is believed to be wreckage of AirAsia QZ8501 in the Java Sea

The tail of the missing AirAsia plane has been found underwater in the Java Sea, according to Indonesian officials.

The find is vital because the cockpit voice and flight data recorders, or black boxes, are located in the aircraft’s tail, and will be crucial to investigators trying to establish why the plane crashed.

“We have successf

Following the disaster, Indonesia has reassigned some airport and air traffic control officials who allowed the flight to take off, and has tightened rules on pre-flight procedures.

The authorities in Jakarta have also suspended all AirAsia flights between Surabaya and Singapore – the route where the plane went missing – after it emerged the aircraft had not been authorised to fly on the day it came down.

The budget airline was not permitted to make the journey on Sundays, although the transport ministry said this had no bearing on the accident.

ully obtained part of the plane that has been our target,” search and rescue agency chief Bambang Soelistyo said.

“The tail portion has been confirmed found.”

The section of plane was identified using an underwater remote operated vehicle.

Images shown at a news conference after the discovery appeared to show an upside down ‘A’ on a piece of metal and mechanical parts under the water.

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Flight QZ8501 came down on 28 December during a storm en route from Indonesia’s second city Surabaya to Singapore.

 

Source: Sky News