Soelistyo, head of Indonesia's search and rescue agency, told local television the search area between the islands of Sumatra and Borneo would be expanded. The air force said authorities would investigate an oil spill sighted on Monday.
Authorities would also begin scouring islands in the area as well as land on Indonesia's side of Borneo. So far the focus of the search has been the Java Sea.
The Airbus A320-200 operated by Indonesia AirAsia lost radar contact in poor weather on Sunday morning during a flight from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore. The plane could be at the bottom of the sea, Soelistyo said on Monday.
What happened to Flight QZ8501, which had sought permission from Indonesian air traffic control to ascend to avoid clouds, is still a mystery.
Online discussions among pilots have centered on unconfirmed secondary radar data from Malaysia that suggested the aircraft was climbing at a speed of 353 knots, about 100 knots too slow in poor weather, and that it might have stalled.
Around 30 ships and 21 aircraft from Indonesia, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea would search around 10,000 square nautical miles on Tuesday, officials said.
They said the sea there was only 50 to 100 (150 to 300 feet) meters deep, which would be a help in finding the plane, which was carrying mainly Indonesians.
The US military said the USS Sampson, a guided missile destroyer, would be on the scene later on Tuesday.
The US Defense Department said assistance to Indonesia "could include some air, surface and sub-surface detection capabilities."
"We stand ready to assist in any way possible," Pentagon spokesman Mark Wright said.
China's Defense Ministry said it had sent a warship to the South China Sea and planes "have begun preparatory work" for search operations.
FALSE ALARMS
There have been no confirmed signs of wreckage so far.
Officials said one of the possible oil slicks seen on Monday turned out to be a reef and that while searchers had picked up an emergency locator signal off the south of Borneo no subsequent signal was found.
The plane, whose engines were made by CFM International, co-owned by General Electric and Safran of France, lacked real-time engine diagnostics or monitoring, a GE spokesman said. Such systems are mainly used on long-haul flights and can provide clues to airlines and investigators when things go wrong.
The plane's disappearance comes at a sensitive time for Jakarta's aviation authorities, as they strive to improve the country's safety reputation to match its status as one of the airline industry's fastest growing markets.
It also appears to be a third air disaster involving a Malaysian-affiliated carrier in less than a year, further denting confidence in that country's aviation industry and spooking air travelers across the region.
Indonesia AirAsia is 49 percent owned by Malaysia-based budget carrier AirAsia.
Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 went missing on March 8 on a trip from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 passengers and crew and has not been found. On July 17, the same airline's Flight MH17 was shot down over Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board.
[jpost.com by Reuters]
30/12/14
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Search for missing AirAsia plane expands with more aircraft, ships joining ...
ReplyDeleteMore countries were sending planes and ships on Tuesday to join an expanding search operation in the Java Sea off Indonesia where an AirAsia plane disappeared as the sea and aerial hunt entered its third day.
Around 30 ships, 15 fixed-wing aircraft and seven helicopters from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Australia had been scouring the missing flight QZ8501 in some 10,000 square nautical miles on Tuesday, said Bambang Sulistyo, head of the National Search and Rescue Agency.
He told a local TV that the search would be expanded to land areas with helicopters beginning to comb land on Kalimantan as well as islands in the area. So far the search has been focused on the Java Sea between the islands of Sumatra and Borneo.
Meanwhile, more countries were joining the international search efforts for the Airbus A320-200, which was flying from Surabaya in Indonesia's East Java province to Singapore on Sunday with 162 people aboard.
China said on Monday it would send a warship and an Air Force jet to help look for the missing AirAsia plane.
A Navy frigate on a routine patrol in the South China Sea was heading to the waters where flight QZ8501 went missing, the Defense Ministry said in a statement..............http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/899252.shtml
30/12/14
Bodies and debris seen by teams searching for missing AirAsia plane ...
ReplyDeleteA life vest, luggage and aircraft parts were among the debris identified in the waters.
Officials said they were 95% certain that the area where the plane went down had been located.
Debris spotted during an aerial search for flight QZ8501 is from the missing plane, Indonesia's director general of civil aviation said.
"For the time being it can be confirmed that it's the AirAsia plane and the transport minister will depart soon to Pangkalan Bun," Djoko Murjatmodjo said.
"Based on the observation by search and rescue personnel, significant things have been found such as a passenger door and cargo door.
"It's in the sea, 100 miles (160km) southwest of Pangkalan Bun," he said, referring to the town in Central Kalimantan, on the island of Borneo....................http://www.rte.ie/news/2014/1230/669523-airasia-plane-indonesia/
AirAsia : les débris de l'avion repérés en mer de Java ...
ReplyDeleteLes débris de l’avion d’AirAsia disparu dimanche ont été repérés au large de Bornéo, en mer de Java, selon l’aviation civile indonésienne. L'appareil transportait 162 passagers.
Des débris rouges et blancs, les couleurs de la compagnie Indonesia AirAsia dont le vol QZ8501 a disparu dimanche avec 162 personnes à son bord, ont été repérés en mer au large de Kalimantan (Bornéo), a annoncé mardi un responsable du ministère indonésien des Transports.
"Pour l'instant, on peut confirmer que c'est l'avion d'AirAsia, et le ministre des Transports va partir sous peu pour Pangkalan Bun", dans la zone de recherche où les débris ont été découverts, a ajouté le directeur général de l’aviation civile Djoko Murjatmodjo...............http://www.france24.com/fr/20141230-debris-avion-airasia-disparu-retrouves-mer-vol-airbus-indonesie/
Indonesian Rescue Workers Recover More Than 40 AirAsia Victims ...
ReplyDeletendonesian National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) workers have recovered more than 40 bodies floating in the Java Sea, three of them have been lifted by the team, according to Al Arabiya.
MOSCOW, December 30 (Sputnik) — Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) workers have discovered more than 40 bodies floating in the Java Sea most likely from AirAsia flight QZ8501, an Indonesian Air Force commander said Tuesday.
"Three bodies have been lifted by a team on the Bung Tomo ship," VIVAnews military portal quoted Air Force Commander Jhonson Simatupang as saying at the military base near the city of Pangkalan Bun...................http://sputniknews.com/asia/20141230/1016390206.html