Flight recorders of AirAsia flight QZ8501 found

The first flight recorder of the AirAsia flight QZ8501 aircraft has been found in the Java Sea, a government official announced yesterday. The black box was located last weekend, but the strong winds, currents and high waves complicated the operation. The location of the second flight recorder has also been discovered. 

The AirAsia flight disappeared two weeks ago after the pilot had requested authorisation from air traffic control to modify its path in order to avoid a thundery cell. All communication with the aircraft was lost a few minutes later. The flight was travelling from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore. The boxes will now be sent to Jakarta in order to determine the precise location and cause of the crash.

Indonesia's meteorological agency has stated in a preliminary report that icing of the aircraft's engines may have caused the crash. Experts say there is insufficient data to draw conclusions at this time and the data from the flight recorders will offer more clarity. The analysis may take several weeks.

So far, only 48 of 162 bodies have been found.

Written by: Team Flight-Delayed.co.uk