– Search for black boxes –
Indonesian national air safety investigator Toos Sanitioso told AFP they “hope optimistically” to find the plane in the near future but warned it could take at least a week.
The plane is believed to be in relatively shallow water of around 25-32 metres (82-105 feet).
During searches Tuesday, which retrieved wreckage giving the first confirmation that the flight had crashed, an air force plane saw a “shadow” on the seabed believed to be the missing plane. All efforts are now being concentrated there.
Debris found so far includes an exit door, an emergency slide, several suitcases and part of an AirAsia trolley.
Before take-off the pilot had asked for permission to fly at a higher altitude to avoid a storm. But his request was not approved due to other planes above him on the popular route, according to AirNav, Indonesia’s air traffic control.
In his last communication, Captain Iriyanto, an experienced former air force pilot, said he wanted to change course to avoid the menacing storm system. Then all contact was lost, about 40 minutes after the plane had taken off.
Of the 162 passengers and crew on board Flight QZ8501, 155 were Indonesian, with three South Koreans, one Singaporean, one Malaysian, one Briton and a Frenchman – co-pilot Remi Plesel.
The plane was operated by AirAsia Indonesia, a unit of Malaysia-based AirAsia, which previously had a solid safety record.
The crash came at the end of a disastrous year for Malaysian air travel.
After the disappearance of Flight MH370 in March, en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 passengers and crew, another Malaysia Airlines flight – MH17 – was shot down over Ukraine in July, killing all 298 on board.
In further bad news for AirAsia, one of its pilots tested positive for morphine, AirAsia Indonesia president director Sunu Widyatmoko said Thursday, adding however that further tests were needed since the pilot had been taking flu medicine which could give a false result.
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