Fuselage of QZ8501 Entered For The First Time

23rd Jan 2015

The retrieval of the huge chunk of the fuselage which was detected and confirmed by search vessels last week proved to be difficult for its sheer size.

However, all is not lost as the divers were able to retrieve six bodies that were trapped inside and still strapped onto their seats, bringing the number of recovered remains to 65 as of press time.

The operations have been continuously hampered by bad weather and strong currents in the bottom of the ocean where the wreckage was located.

According to Suryadi Bambang Supriyadi, the country's National Search and Rescue Agency chief of operations, the divers were able to recover 6 bodies, but disclosed that there were more remains inside. Aside from the strong currents that continue to hamper their operations, the divers had a hard time retrieving some of the bodies as some of the mangled parts of the fuselage block their way.

The doomed flight departed Surabaya at 5:35AM for its expected arrival in Singapore at 8:30AM with 162 people on board, including 7 crew members. More than half an hour later into its flight, the pilot asked permission from the air traffic controller to allow him to climb to 38,000 feet from its current altitude of 32,000 feet, citing big storm clouds ahead.

The ATC, however, delayed its permission by two minutes citing heavy traffic on the requested altitude. When the ground controller was about to send his permission, contact was lost and 3 minutes later, the aircraft disappeared from the radar screen.

Forty minutes later, the aircraft was declared missing with its last known position over Java Sea, particularly above Karimata Strait, a body of water that links South China Sea and Java Sea between Belitung Island and Kalimantan.

The search and retrieval operations have been continuously hampered by bad weather and strong undersea currents since the frantic search started.

The main fuselage was spotted lying on the seabed at a depth of 100 feet or 30 meters below the surface.

Initial finding showed that the aircraft accelerated to a speed of 6,000 feet per minute when it attempted to climb to 38,000 feet to avoid storm clouds before it stalled and dropped.