Officials confirm tail section of AirAsia plane found in Java Sea

JAKARTA, Indonesia — Ten days after Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501 crashed into the Java Sea, search crews on Wednesday found the aircraft’s tail underwater in the first confirmed sighting of the wreckage of the Airbus A320-200.

“I can confirm that we have found the tail of the aircraft,” Bambang Soelistyo, head of Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency, told reporters.

The tail is believed to contain the airliner’s “black boxes,” the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorders that should explain why the plane crashed into the sea on Dec. 28 with 162 passengers and crew members aboard.

Divers took pictures of the tail, which was lying upside down on the sea floor, partially buried, at a depth of about 100 feet. Indonesian media broadcast images showing the plane’s registration number and part of the airline’s red-and-white logo.

Officials said the debris measured about 33 feet in length, suggesting that the tail was intact.

Meteorologists have said thunderstorms were a “trigger factor” in the accident.

Another body from the wreckage was found, bringing the confirmed death toll to 40. Officials believe there are no survivors among the 155 mostly Indonesian passengers and seven crew members.