Accidents
Authorities Suspend Airborne Search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501
Ships on Java Sea continue to comb waters for wreckage
Faulty rudder-control components and pilots’ response to the problem contributed to the crash of AirAsia Indonesia Flight QZ8501 last December, the accident investigation has concluded. (Photo: Flickr: Creative Commons (BY-SA) by Kentaro IEMOTO@Tokyo)
Faulty rudder-control components and pilots’ response to the problem contributed to the crash of AirAsia Indonesia Flight QZ8501 last December, the accident investigation has concluded. (Photo: Flickr: Creative Commons (BY-SA) by Kentaro IEMOTO@Tokyo)

Indonesian authorities curtailed the search for AirAsia Indonesia Flight QZ8501 on Sunday as darkness fell in the region covering the flight path between Surabaya, Indonesia, and Singapore. Jakarta air traffic control lost contact with the Airbus A320-200 at 7:24 a.m. local time after pilots asked to change course and increase altitude in an effort to avoid bad weather during the scheduled flight carrying 155 passengers and seven crewmembers. The flight took off from Juanda International Airport in Surabaya at 5:35 a.m. The pilots of the flight did not declare an emergency before ATC lost contact nearly two hours later.