AirAsia tragedy
The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) from AirAsia flight QZ8501 is displayed by officials upon its arrival in Pangkalan Bun, Indonesia, Jan. 13, 2015.
On January 13 Indonesian divers retrieved the cockpit voice recorder from beneath the wreckage of the AirAsia plane that crashed into the Java Sea as the airline's boss vowed to overcome the "toughest times" he has known.
Flight QZ8501 vanished from radar screens over the northern Java Sea on December 28, 2014 less than half-way into a two-hour flight from Indonesia's second-biggest city of Surabaya to Singapore.
AirAsia Flight QZ8501
Tatang Kurniadi, the head of the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT), speaks to journalists while using samples of the flight data recorder (FDR), right, and cockpit voice recorder (CVR), left, during a press conference in Pangkalan Bun, Indonesia, Jan. 13, 2015.
AirAsia Flight QZ8501
The flight data recorder of the AirAsia flight QZ8501 after it was retrieved from the Java Sea, Jan. 12, 2015. Indonesian divers on retrieved the flight data recorder of the AirAsia plane that went down in the Java Sea with 162 people on board, a potential breakthrough in efforts to discover what caused the crash.
AirAsia Flight QZ8501
An Airbus investigator walks near part of the tail of the AirAsia QZ8501 passenger plane in Kumai Port, near Pangkalan Bun, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, Jan. 12, 2015.
AirAsia Flight QZ8501
The tail of AirAsia QZ8501 passenger plane is lifted onto the deck of the rescue ship Crest Onyx after it was raised from the sea bed, south of Pangkalan Bun, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, Jan. 10, 2015.
AirAsia Flight QZ8501
The tail of AirAsia QZ8501 passenger plane is seen on the deck of the Indonesian Search and Rescue (BASARNAS) ship Crest Onyx after it was lifted from the sea bed, south of Pangkalan Bun, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, Jan. 10, 2015.
AirAsia Flight QZ8501
Airbus investigators examines part of the tail of AirAsia QZ8501 passenger plane in Kumai Port, near Pangkalan Bun, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, Jan. 12, 2015.
AirAsia Flight QZ8501
An underwater photo released by Indonesia's National Search And Rescue Agency (BASARNAS) shows part of the wreckage that BASARNAS identified as of the ill-fated AirAsia Flight 8501 in the waters of the Java Sea, Indonesia, Jan. 7, 2015.
Divers and an unmanned underwater vehicle spotted the tail of the missing AirAsia plane in the Java Sea on Wednesday, the first confirmed sighting of any major wreckage 11 days after Flight 8501 disappeared with the passengers and crew members on board.
AirAsia Flight QZ8501
An underwater photo released by Indonesia's National Search And Rescue Agency (BASARNAS) shows part of the wreckage that BASARNAS identified as the part of the fuselage of the ill-fated AirAsia Flight 8501 in the waters of the Java Sea, Indonesia, Jan. 7, 2015.
Divers and an unmanned underwater vehicle spotted the tail of the missing AirAsia plane in the Java Sea on Wednesday, the first confirmed sighting of any major wreckage 11 days after Flight 8501 disappeared with the passengers and crew members on board.
AirAsia Flight QZ8501
A Muslim cleric pauses as he reads a book of Koran verses during a prayer for the victims of AirAsia flight QZ 8501, inside an Indonesian Air Force NAS 332 Super Puma helicopter flying over the Java Sea off Pangkalan Bun, Indonesia, Jan. 6, 2015.
Search teams including divers took advantage of a let-up in bad weather on Tuesday to try to reach the wreckage of an AirAsia jet that crashed nine days ago, and to recover bodies and find its black box flight recorders. Indonesian officials believe they may have located the tail and parts of the fuselage of the Airbus A320-200 at the bottom of the Java Sea, but strong currents, high winds and big waves have hindered attempts to investigate the debris.
AirAsia Flight QZ8501
Members of the Indonesian Navy carry wreckage recovered from the Java Sea of AirAsia flight QZ8501 upon its arrival at Juanda military airport in Surabaya on Jan. 7, 2015.
AirAsia Flight QZ8501
Indonesian Navy frogmen and underwater demolition unit personnel on a boat carrying bodies from AirAsia flight QZ8501, look as a body is lifted (unseen) to the Indonesian Navy vessel KRI Banda Aceh, Jan. 3, 2015.
Ships searching for the wreck of an AirAsia passenger jet that crashed with 162 people on board have pinpointed two "big objects" on the sea floor, the head of Indonesia's search and rescue agency said on Saturday.
AirAsia Flight QZ8501
Indonesian Air Force crew members taking part in the search for AirAsia QZ8501 wait out a rain storm under the tail of a cargo plane at the airbase in Pangkalan Bun, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, Jan. 4, 2015.
A multinational team searching for a crashed AirAsia passenger jet found another large underwater object believed to be part of the plane, but persistent bad weather hampered efforts on Sunday to locate its black box recorders and recover bodies of victims.
AirAsia Flight QZ8501
A group of divers in a boat, left, travel toward the KRI Banda Aceh ship during the search operation for passengers onboard AirAsia Flight QZ8501 in the Java Sea, Jan. 4, 2015.
AirAsia Flight QZ8501
Sailors from the U.S. Navy's USS Fort Worth searching in the Java Sea for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 make preparations to launch a Tow Fish side scan sonar system from the ship's 11-m rigid hull inflatable boat in a photo released by the US Navy, Jan. 4, 2015.
AirAsia Flight QZ8501
Members of the Indonesian Red Cross watch over the ten coffins containing victims of the AirAsia flight QZ8501 crash in an Indonesian Air Force aircraft en route to Surabaya, Indonesia, Jan, 02, 2015.
A massive recovery operation is underway in waters off Borneo to recover bodies and debris from the missing AirAsia flight QZ8501 from Surabaya to Singapore, that lost contact with air traffic control on December 28.
AirAsia Flight QZ8501
Indonesians hold up candles during a candle light vigil for the victims of AirAsia flight QZ8501 at Surabaya, Indonesia, Dec. 31, 2014.
Indonesian rescuers searching for an AirAsia plane carrying 162 people pulled bodies and wreckage from the sea off the coast of Borneo on Tuesday. Indonesia AirAsia's Flight QZ8501, an Airbus A320-200, lost contact with air traffic control early on Sunday during bad weather on a flight from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore.
AirAsia Flight QZ8501
Caskets containing the remains of AirAsia QZ8501 passengers recovered from the sea are carried to a military transport plane at the airport in Pangkalan Bun, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia before being transported to Surabaya, where the flight originated, Jan. 2, 2015.
Ships and aircraft criss-crossed the seas off Borneo on Friday hunting for the wreck of the Indonesia AirAsia passenger jet, but bad weather was again hindering the search for the plane and the black box flight recorders that should reveal why it crashed.
AirAsia Flight QZ8501
At the airport in Pangkalan Bun, Central Kalimantan, Indonesian Search and Rescue team members place their hands on a stretcher while waiting for the arrival of a U.S. Navy helicopter from the USS Sampson, which is carrying the remains of passengers from AirAsia QZ8501 recovered from the sea, Jan. 2, 2015. International experts with sophisticated acoustic detection gear joined teams scouring the sea for the wreck of the Indonesia AirAsia passenger jet on Friday, but bad weather was again hindering the hunt for the plane's black box flight recorders.
AirAsia Flight QZ8501
Indonesian military personnel carry coffins of victims recovered from AirAsia flight QZ8501, upon their arrival at the military airbase in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia after being flown in from Pangkalan Bun, the town with the nearest airstrip to the crash site in Central Kalimantan, Dec. 31, 2014
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AirAsia Flight QZ8501
Members of Indonesian search and rescue team carry a dead body of passengers AirAsia flight QZ 8501 on December 31, 2014 in Pangkalan Bun, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia.
A massive recovery operation has begun following confirmation from Indonesian officials that remains and debris found in waters off Borneo are from the missing AirAsia plane.
AirAsia Flight QZ8501
A Basarnas helicopter is seen behind three covered bodies recovered from the AirAsia plane, on the deck of KRI Bung Tomo warship off the Java Sea, Indonesia, Dec. 31, 2014.
A body recovered on Wednesday from the crashed AirAsia plane was wearing a life jacket, an official with Indonesia's search and rescue agency said, raising questions about how the disaster unfolded.
AirAsia Flight QZ8501
Members of the Search and Rescue Agency SARS carry debris recovered from the sea presumed from missing Indonesia AirAsia flight QZ 8501 at Pangkalan Bun, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, Dec. 30, 2014.
AirAsia Flight QZ8501
Air force personnel carry items presumed to be from missing Indonesia Air Asia flight QZ 8501 recovered from the sea at Pangkalan Bun, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, Dec. 30, 2014.
AirAsia Flight QZ8501
This aerial view taken from an Indonesian search and rescue aircraft over the Java Sea shows floating debris spotted in the same area as other items being investigated by Indonesian authorities as possible objects from missing AirAsia flight QZ8501, Dec. 30, 2014.
Items resembling an emergency slide, plane door and other objects were spotted during a aerial search.
An AirAsia Airbus plane with 162 people on board went missing en route from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore early on December 28, officials and the airline said, in the third major incident to affect a Malaysian carrier this year.
AirAsia Flight QZ8501
This aerial view taken from an Indonesian search and rescue aircraft over the Java Sea shows floating debris spotted in the same area as other items being investigated by Indonesian authorities as possible objects from missing AirAsia flight QZ8501 on Dec. 30, 2014.
Items resembling an emergency slide, plane door and other objects were spotted during a aerial search on December 30.
AirAsia Flight QZ8501
A man places flowers down as a sign of respect to Air Asia QZ 8501 passengers in Batu, Indonesia, Dec. 30, 2014.
AirAsia Flight QZ8501
Indonesia's President Joko Widodo, right, walks beside AirAsia's CEO Tony Fernandes after meeting with family members of passengers onboard AirAsia flight QZ8501 in Juanda International Airport, Surabaya, Dec. 30, 2014.
Indonesian rescuers searching for an AirAsia plane carrying 162 people pulled bodies and wreckage from the sea off the coast of Borneo on Tuesday, prompting relatives of those on board watching TV footage to break down in tears.
AirAsia Flight QZ8501
Navy soldiers work on a map of Indonesia monitoring all Navy ships from Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia involved in the joint search and rescue operation for AirAsia flight QZ8501 at a navy base on Batam island, Dec. 29, 2014.
AirAsia Flight QZ8501
Indonesian air force CN295 crew members take part in a search and rescue operation for missing AirAsia flight QZ8501 over waters near Pangkalan, Central Kalimantan, Dec. 30, 2014.
AirAsia Flight QZ8501
Indian sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik gives the final touches to his sand sculpture portraying two missing aircraft, Air Asia QZ8501 and Malayasia Airlines MH370 on Golden Sea Beach at Puri, some 65 kms east of Bhubaneswar, Dec. 29, 2014.
AirAsia Flight QZ8501
A Changi Airport employee in Singapore holds up a sign to direct next-of-kin of passengers of AirAsia Flight QZ 8501, which had been en route from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore before disappearing from radar, Dec. 28, 2014.
AirAsia Flight QZ 8501 lost contact with the Jakarta air traffic control 40 minutes after takeoff.
AirAsia Flight QZ8501
Relatives of missing AirAsia Flight QZ8501 passengers cry at the crisis center of Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, Indonesia, Dec. 28, 2014.
First Admiral Sigit Setiayana, the Naval Aviation Center commander at the Surabaya air force base, said that 12 navy ships, five planes, three helicopters and a number of warships were taking part in the search, along with ships and planes from Singapore, Malaysia, and Australia.
AirAsia Flight QZ8501
Indonesia search and rescue officers inspect the operational air navigation map during the investigation of missing AirAsia Flight QZ8501 at the crisis center of Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, Indonesia, Dec. 28, 2014.
AirAsia Flight QZ8501
A relative of missing AirAsia Flight QZ8501 passengers makes a phone call at the crisis center of Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, Indonesia, Dec. 28, 2014.
The flight vanished in airspace thick with storm clouds.
AirAsia Flight QZ8501
Family of passengers of missing Malaysian AirAsia Flight QZ8501 wait at Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, Indonesia, hours after news the flight went missing, Dec. 28, 2014.
The AirAsia Airbus, with 162 people on board, went missing en route from Indonesia to Singapore early on Dec. 28, in the third major incident to affect a Malaysian carrier this year.
AirAsia Flight QZ8501
Family members of passengers on board Malaysian AirAsia Flight QZ8501 wait for information inside the AirAsia crisis center at Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, East Java in Indonesia, Dec. 28, 2014.
Indonesia called off a search for the AirAsia plane until first light.
AirAsia Flight QZ8501
Relatives of missing Malaysian AirAsia Flight QZ8501 passengers wait at Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, Indonesia, Dec. 28, 2014.
AirAsia Flight QZ8501
Family of missing AirAsia Flight QZ8501 passengers ask for news during a meeting with officials at the crisis center in Juanda International Airport in Surabay, Indonesia, Dec. 28, 2014.
AirAsia Flight QZ8501 was halfway to its destination, Singapore, when it vanished from radar.
AirAsia Flight QZ8501
Family members of passengers on board AirAsia Flight QZ 8501 look at a passenger list inside a crisis center at Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, Indonesia, Dec. 28, 2014.
Nearly all the passengers and crew are Indonesians.
AirAsia Flight QZ8501
Relatives of missing Air Asia Flight QZ8501 passengers gather during a meeting with officials at the crisis center in Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, Indonesia, Dec. 28, 2014.
The year has been a traffic one for air travel in Southeast Asia with the still-unexplained disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 in March and the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in July over Ukraine.
AirAsia Flight QZ8501
Two members of the Indonesian Navy's Tactical Commanding Operator (TACCO) help with the search for AirAsia Flight QZ 8501 on board a CN235 aircraft over Karimun Java, in the Java Sea, Dec. 28, 2014.
The AirAsia flight, with 162 people onboard, lost contact with air traffic control on Sunday after the pilots asked to change course to avoid bad weather.
AirAsia Flight QZ8501
AirAsia Flight QZ8501 shows a "Go to Info Counter" message on the arrivals board at Singapore's Changi Airport after the flight went missing en route from Indonesia, Dec. 28, 2014.
The last communication between the pilot and air traffic control was at 6:13 a.m. Sunday (6:13 p.m. EST Saturday).
AirAsia Flight QZ8501
The flight path and last known position of AirAsia Flight QZ8501.
There was no distress call from the plane before it disappeared from radar.
AirAsia Flight QZ8501
A relative shows a picture of family she says were traveling on missing Malaysian AirAsia Flight QZ8501 on her mobile phone at the airport in Surabaya, East Java in Indonesia, Dec. 28, 2014.
The AirAsia Airbus, with 162 people on board, went missing en route from Indonesia to Singapore early on Dec. 28.
AirAsia Flight QZ8501
An official from Indonesia's national search and rescue agency in Medan, North Sumatra points at his computer screen to the position where AirAsia Flight QZ8501 went missing off the waters of Indonesia, Dec. 28, 2014.
The AirAsia Airbus, with 162 people onboard, went missing en route from Indonesia to Singapore early Dec. 28.
AirAsia Flight QZ8501
Jiang Hui, a relative of passengers onboard Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 that went missing March 8, 2014 watches a tv showing a live broadcast of missing Mayalsian AirAsia Flight QZ8501 with others, during their year-end gathering, at his house in Beijing, Dec. 28, 2014.
In the third air incident connected to Malaysia this year, an AirAsia plane with 162 people on board disappeared Sunday while flying over the Java Sea after taking off from Indonesia's second-largest city for Singapore.
AirAsia Flight QZ8501
Family members of passengers of missing Malaysian AirAsia flight QZ8501 gather at Juanda International Airport in Surabaya in East Java in Indonesia hours after news the flight went missing, Dec. 28, 2014.
The AirAsia Airbus, with 162 people on board, went missing en route from Indonesia to Singapore early Dec. 28 in the third major incident to affect a Malaysian carrier this year.