AirAsia crash: Plane climbed at 'abnormal speed' then stalled

Indonesian rescue crews unload the wreckage of part of the ill-fated AirAsia Flight 8501 that crashed in the Java Sea. Photo / AP

The AirAsia plane that crashed into the Java Sea last month climbed faster than "normal speed" and stalled, Indonesia's Transport Minister has revealed.

All 162 people on board flight QZ8501 are thought to have died when it crashed during a short trip from Surabaya to Singapore.

At an earlier parliamentary hearing, Ignasius Jonan said radar data showed the Airbus A320-200 was climbing at a rate of 6000ft (1,800m) a minute before the crash.

He added: "I think it is rare even for a fighter jet to be able to climb 6000ft per minute.

"For a commercial flight, climbing around 1000 to 2000 (feet) is maybe already considered extraordinary, because it is not meant to climb that fast."

The country's meteorological agency thought bad weather may have caused the tragedy, and investigators are still studying the plane's black box before releasing an official report.

But it's emerged the pilot asked for permission to climb to a higher altitude to avoid the storm, moments before the plane disappeared from radar. His request was not granted due to "heavy air traffic".

The Transport Minister added: "In the final minutes, the plane climbed at a speed which was beyond normal. The plane suddenly went up at a speed above the normal limit that it was able to climb to. Then it stalled."

This latest revelation comes as Indonesian investigators focused on the possibility of human error, or mechanical problems with the plane having caused the crash - following an initial analysis of the cockpit voice recorder.

Terrorism had already been ruled out according to investigator Nurcahyo Utomo, who said: "We didn't hear any other person, no explosion."

As well as the cockpit voice recorder, the committee is also examining a wealth of information in the flight data recorder, which monitors every major part of the plane. A preliminary report will be releasd on January 28.

Ships from several different countries, including the US and China, were involved in a huge international hunt for the crashed plane.

Indonesian search and rescue teams have so far recovered just 53 bodies from the sea.

But last week, a Singapore navy ship located the jet's main body - with the AirAsia motto "Now Everyone Can Fly" painted on the side.

Rescue teams hope they will be able to find many of the passengers and crew inside.

Divers have so far failed to reach the fuselage despite several attempts due to bad weather, high waves and strong underwater currents.

All but seven of those on board the flight were Indonesian. The foreign nationals were from South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Britain and France.

- Daily Mail